Teaching the Heart
by gypsysfeather
Summary: Regina Mills is a teacher at Atlanta High School, mother to ten-year-old Henry, and just trying to live life the best she can. When she runs into something - or someone - unexpectedly, her life begins to twist and turn in ways she never thought she'd have again. Modern day Outlaw Queen set in Atlanta, Georgia.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note:**

_**Hello all. Here's a new AU fan fic that I'm starting. It's completely different from the Storybrooke storyline, but it still has the characters same characteristics and little quirks.**_ _**Yes, all of the chapters will be this long! Haha. I do hope you enjoy them as much as I've already enjoyed them, and I'm looking forward to a long road of "school year" ahead!**_ _**G.**_

_**UPDATE 10/16/14**_

_To the people who read this and said "Italics overload", I was extremely confused as to what you all were talking about. I just re-read it off of my Word app and realized that changed a whole section to all Italics. I'm at work at this moment, and I apologize for the inconvenience. It was not supposed to be like that. When I get home I will change it to how it was supposed to be. I really do hope you give it another chance, because many said they stopped reading it just because of that._

_Again,_

_Sorry._

_G._

**...**

**...**

It's the second Monday of August; hottest summer in history of Atlanta.

There's a bit of the sun out at seven o' clock this morning, trying to shine through the storm clouds that's expected to bring lots of rain tomorrow. The humidity was high, the sun was already making it hot, and the kids were all walking to their bus stops.

Another year of school.

It's one of the happiest days of school for many, though, besides the day before break. For Regina Mills, it means going back to school as a teacher of five years. She is a favorite teacher of many students in her classes, including classes whom have already graduated and moved on. She loves what she does, helping students in a lost world and in a generation of teachers who don't want to help their kids.

She walks into her classroom and sets her books up, making sure everyone's desks are properly waiting for them so that they can all get introduced well. That's the first important thing for Regina, is to make sure she has a connection with her students. Some are willing to do so, some…just aren't.

She sits down after perfecting her classroom, waiting for the bell to ring for class to start. She takes a sip of her barely warm coffee in a plastic cup from home, having been washed so many times that it was mostly just paper. She slips her glasses on over her eyes and grabs her book, seeing that it's only 7:45, class didn't start until 8:00.

She sighs and turns to her page, taking a sip once she finds page 64 of her new book she's just start, _The Fault in our Stars._

"_Chapter Five_

_I did not speak to Augustus again for about a week. I had called him on the Night of the Broken Trophies, so per tradition it was his turn to call. But he didn't."_

Was it the book a little immature for a twenty-eight year old woman to be reading? Perhaps. But this was just yet another way to connect with her students, by staying up-to-date on their culture. Another reason why she's always her students' favorite.

She reaches for her coffee cup again, taking a sip and not taking her eyes off of the book. She couldn't believe that Augustus _actually _called Hazel Grace. She only wished she could find someone like that, sweeping her off her feet and-

The bell rang. She stood up and put her book away, readying herself to meet her new students for the year. She fixed her form-fitting, dark purple pencil skirt, making sure every inch of the hem on her light pink, button-down shirt was tucked in to the waist of her skirt. She took her reading glasses off and folded them up, putting them on top of her book that was now closed on page 68. She didn't get very far, but it wasn't because she was slow; instead, she absorbs everything in, taking each detail as she reads every sentence.

Her first student walked through the door, followed by another, another, and more piling in and throwing their backpacks down tiredly by their legs once they sat down in their seats. She smiled and clasped her hands together, "Good morning, class. Welcome to Literature 2, I'll be your teacher, Regina Mills." She announces with the same warm, beautiful smile. She pushed a hair back that was wanting to stick out from her perfected up-do, "I hope you all will have a great year of eleventh grade, and I am so excited to be teaching you." She says genuinely.

Some students groan while some male students were only watching her beautiful curves. She pursed her lips together, hating to feel like a piece of meat hanging at a butcher shop. She turns to the board with a click of her tongue, grabbing a piece of chalk and writing:

_Regina, no "miss" or "Miss Mills"_

She underlined the word _no._

_Eleventh grade literature, _below the first line. Up in the top corner she wrote, _August 11__th__, 2014._

She turned and laid the chalk down, brushing her hands off and smiling, "That's for if you've already forgotten what day school has started." She says sarcastically. She sighs when no one responded to her joke.

_First day, Regina. None of them want to be here, don't beat yourself up over it._ She swallows thickly and pulls out the drawer for her attendance sheet, ready to call off names. "Now, before I do this, I have a thing in my class I like to do every Monday to make the day a little bit better. We'll start today. I say you're name, and instead of saying _here_, you give one sentence about you. This gives me and your classmates a chance to know you better." She explains in a warm tone.

She looks down at her sheet and grabs her glasses from her book, slipping them so they set on the end of her nose, "Randy?" She calls out, first name.

"I play football." He says.

She nods slowly, "Good, but short. Let's try to be more detailed. Sandy?"

"I'm a dancer at SBC and I travel around the country and-"

"Oh, Sandy…that's a run-on. We'll be working on that." Regina interrupts gently with a little chuckle, making it known that she wasn't quite scolding Sandy.

She goes through the list one by one, then about three from the bottom she calls out a Timothy.

"I am really horny and would like to slam you against the desk." He says in a cocky way, making most of the class laugh as he sits back arrogantly against his chair.

Regina swallows thickly and takes her glasses off her nose, her anger simmering in her stomach. She held back her sharp tongue and sighed. "Timothy, that is very inappropriate language for the classroom or for anywhere else, for that matter. This will go straight to the principle that you were misbehaving."

"Who cares? I'm the principles son."

Regina scoffs, "She doesn't have a son, nice try."

Another student speaks up in the front of the class, leaning on her desk and toward Regina more, "Tina…her name used to be Tina…" She whispers.

Her eyes widen and she swallows thickly, realizing that an eleventh-grade girl, now guy, wanted to slam her against the desk and she was the principle's daugh- son. This is a great start so far. Just great. "Thank you, ah…" She pauses and looks down at her call sheet, "Patty." She says to the girl in the front of the class.

The day went on, her first day starting out with fun instead of actual work. She never made them start out working. She had more students come in…and then more…then they finally stopped at 11:50. That was her last Literature class for the day, but she would still have to plan for a new day. She was always planning a week ahead, sometimes even two weeks. She was very organized in what she did because she loved her job, even if she did have a few rude students in all three of her classes.

She sipped at her coffee while writing down the last few things she needed in her planner, checking her small, sporty watch to see that it was already 12:30, the time that she was given to eat at. She closed her things up and fixed her skirt after standing up from her chair, laying her glasses down again and walking out of the door.

She turned around and went to turn the knob, but of course it was locked. She dug her key out from her shirt pocket and unlocked it, going back in to get her coffee cup to refill in the teacher's lounge. She walked out backwards, holding her cup in one hand and the doorknob in the other. She walked out right in front of someone, making the person run into her with absolutely no intentions of stopping.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She exclaims, quickly turning around and gluing against her door.

"It's perfectly fine, I should've watched where I was going, honestly." He replies, a charming smile and gelled hair, made to spike up a little on the top.

She sucked both lips in and stays sucked up against her door, trying not to let her eyes get stuck on him. "Ah…yeah, anyway…" She says, turning around to finish closing the door.

He bends down and picks up the loose key, handing it to her, "I think this is yours?" He asks.

She turns back around and looks at him – his eyes, then his chest, then his hand, finally. "Oh, yes…that is. Sorry, I'm just…it's been a heck of a day, you know?" She says, finally breathing. Goodness, his blue eyes were so captivating, mesmerizing, almost sparkling…

"Oh I know, I've been trying to find the wretched teacher's lounge for ten minutes now. I'm probably about to run out of time for my lunch." He replies, looking up and down the hallway, looking completely lost.

"Are you the new coach?" She asks, seeing the whistle hanging around his neck, his shirt tucked in nicely into his scratchy sweatpants, complete with what looked to be a brand new pair of _Nike_ tennis shoes.

He looks down and nods, spreading his arms out in a _look at my clothing _type of motion. "I am indeed - football. Who knew a Brit would ever be teaching American football?" He asks, a little chuckle in his voice.

She smiles and chuckles as well, trying not to be awkward. Why was she being so awkward around this man? She was almost sure it was because of his voice, his accent, that _beautiful_ accent. She takes a deep breath and another look at her watch, exactly 12:30, the time she was supposed to be sitting down with her perfectly made ham sandwich with mustard. "I'm heading to the teacher's lounge now, would you want to walk with me so I can show you?" She asks, clutching her coffee tightly.

_You're 28 years old, Regina. Stop acting like your eleventh grade girls._

"Sure." He answers, looking into her eyes, "That way I hopefully won't get lost again…" He says, chuckling yet again. She nods and turns away toward the direction of the lounge. She brushes her tongue over her bottom lip, thinking about the way he said the word _American. _

No. She had a son, she needed to support him, not go fall into someone's arms. So she pushed him to the back of her mind, even though he was silently following her down the hall and to the right, down to the lounge. Regina gets in and sets her coffee cup on the countertop, heading to the fridge and grabbing the clear, zip baggy with her sandwich still made in it. Mustard was on the inside of the bag, where it had rubbed off of the sandwich. She wrinkles her nose up a little when she pulls it out, trying not to get her hand in the mustard. She didn't want to smell like a condiment all day.

She pulls it out and lays the empty baggy on the table by the wall, setting the sandwich on top of it neatly and folding her napkin in her lap. She takes her drink and sets it inches away from the corner of her sandwich as if that was the perfect, most precise way to do it. And to her, it was.

She hears the new coach over in the other corner of the room, rustling around in what sounded like a shopping back, plastic. She looked over her shoulder and behind her while chewing a bite of her sandwich gracefully, watching as he pulled out a half of a large, what looked to be pepperoni, pizza. She wrinkled her nose up again at that. _How could anyone eat that big of a pizza in one setting?_

She turned away once he sat down, not even heating the thing. He immediately dug in to it, and if he was growling he'd be the perfect image of a modern day caveman. She rolled her eyes and curled her lip, returning to her cleaner, perfect temperature, sandwich. Taking her book and turning to where she left off of _The Fault in Our Stars (_or _TFIOS _as she learned it's been called), page 68. She takes a sip of her water once she's about halfway through with her diagonally cut meal, setting it down and almost letting it fall off of the small table.

She gasped and picked it back up quickly before it spilled, thanking silently that she didn't dump it. Not in front of new guy. New guy who had already vacuumed down the half of the half of a pizza…

…

She sighed as she leaned against the door, her head against her car window as she waited in the long, 3:30 pick-up line for Henry. He was in the fourth grade this year already, already ten; Regina couldn't believe her little boy had grown up so fast.

But this was her favorite part of the day, especially after she needs to wind down. Surprisingly enough, Henry always could make her feel better whether he was bouncing off the walls or just watching a some cheesy movie with her, all snuggled up on the couch.

Little by little, the cars moved slowly and finally it was her turn to pick her son up. The ten year old came bouncing to the car with his _Superman_ backpack slapping up and down against his back with each stride. A huge smile worn on his face as he opens the back door to the four-door SUV. "Mom!" He shouts happily, "I had _the_ best first day of fourth grade _ever._"

She laughs quietly because she knows he can only have _one _first day of fourth grade. But also because she knows he was excited, she plays along like any mother would. "Did you now?" She asks with a smile, looking into the rearview mirror and putting her car in drive, getting out of the way quickly so that the next anxious parent can finally pick up their child. "Do you like your teachers?" She asks curiously, raising a brow in the mirror to the young boy who was fiddling with his seatbelt trying too hard to get it buckled.

"Yes! I like them a lot, and I _think_ they all like me." He replies, proud of himself as he straightens up after he finally buckled the metal piece into the slot. He takes his box of apple juice from the backseat cup holder, sticks his straw in it, and starts drinking it contentedly. (She had always done that as an afterschool ritual for her son, wanting to give him a happy prize for going to school. She would stop by the vending machine in the high school before leaving, pay for the juice, and stick it there for Henry as a little treat. It wasn't much, but even at ten years old, it showed him that she always cared.)

The small talk on the way home progressed from his first day of this grade, to the thoughtful little boy asking how his mother's first day was. She said good, though she knew it wasn't her most favorite first day ever. She was actually somewhat disappointed in her new students, wishing they were a little more lively and not so...rude. But she just hopes she's a good enough teacher for them that she can make it a little better tomorrow, hoping that by the end of the month – two more weeks – that they would be on _her_ terms. She didn't let that on to Henry, because she didn't want him to be sad on his _Best First Day of Fourth Grade._

When they got to their downtown apartment complex behind the big mall, he plopped down on the couch to turn his daily cartoons on. Regina sees this and frowns, "You know the rules, young man. No tv until you finish your homework." She instructs sternly, but not harsh. She always tried to never be harsh with him unless she absolutely had to. He turns with puppy dog eyes, giving her the _but mommmm..._ look. She flicks her brow and crosses her arms, and the boy obeys.

She walks away and into the kitchen,getting ready to prepare dinner for the night. The first night of the school year, not ready to be on her feet for the remainder of the day. But she does, just because she knows she has an energetic little boy to feed and her friend/Henry's babysitter to feed as well. She usually came over for dinners as a little treat from Regina, because the brunette knows she is underpaying Emma for what she does. She just simply can't afford what she should be paying, though, and she's thankful Emma is willing to be there.

She sighs as she looks inside of her almost empty fridge, kicking herself for spending too much time at the school Saturday instead of going shopping for groceries. "Henry? How's a pizza sound for tonight?" She asks him from the fridge to the table where he was doing his homework. Pizza had sounded _so_ good ever since she smelled New Guy's half of a pizza. She wanted it, and it was a good reason not to be on her feet for another hour.

There was only a short silence before Henry's voice replies, "Duh!", never taking his eyes off of his homework.

"Duh? Excuse you?" She asks, knowing he has better manners than that and _also_ knowing that's how his...wonderful...babysitter talks. She gets a hurt expression back, and a _sorry mom_ in her way. She nods as a silent _I forgive you_, then goes and orders a large, stuffed crust, pepperoni pizza.

After about an hour, she had already ordered the pizza, went with Henry to pick it up, and now they were all three sitting down to eat at the table. Emma was getting drinks, "Regina? You want lemonade?" She asks, knowing that's her usual. Regina answers back with a yes, and they sit down.

Regina looks over to Emma and sees that she's drinking grape soda. "Where did you get that?" Regina asks, a slight bite to her tone as if she were scolding her own child.

Emma looks down at it with furrowed brows and wide eyes, her lips pressed together, "I...got it from the convenience...store...?" She answers questioningly, sheepishly looking up to find a glaring employer.

"Why?" Regina inquires, furrowing one brow as she kept her eyes set on Emma's drink.

Emma huffs a little laugh, "Because it sounded good? Probably the same reason the cleanest, most _O-C-D about food_ person I know ordered a greasy, messy, pepperoni pizza." She bites back, taking a large chunk from her pizza and letting the cheese string down her chin.

She rolls her eyes from the few manners that Emma has learned, "You don't give those to my son, do you?" Regina asks, still not letting the soda subject go that easily and purposely putting Emma's little 'insult' behind her, not even paying a bit of attention to it.

Emma shakes her head and opens the soda bottle, taking a large swig before she wipes the remaining purple liquid from her lips on to her forearm, "Hellllckk no." She replies, looking over in Henry's direction awkwardly, hoping he didn't take that in.

Regina furrows her brows, "Emma, where did this language come from? I do hope you don't normally use it around Henry?"

"Regina..." She sighs, realizing she's dug herself a hole and now she needs to dig back out, "...No. Look, it was accident. I've never used it around him _or_ given him soda, right kid?" She asks Henry, who was already halfway through his first slice. He simply nods, not paying much attention to what the blonde had just asked. Though if he was paying attention, he would've blabbered about the time she got him soda at the afterschool fair that Regina couldn't make it to.

Regina huffs and continues eating, remembering the way that _New Guy_ ate his, like a caveman. The thought kind of made her smile until she played back the memory of his loud belch, wiping his face on his arm like Emma just did. She returns to her pizza again, trying to get that un-appetizing thought out of her mind now.

But it still played and stuck in her mind, the way he practically growled while biting a piece off. It was completely uncivil.

**...**

**...**

_August 12__th__, 2014_

That's what the chalkboard started out with today.

This day of school was just as the first day was, but with more work than her first. For the students, at least. She didn't have to talk as much which was a plus, but she also had to check work which was a downside. But she didn't mind too badly.

She escaped her classroom a little earlier today, going on time to lunch. She locked the door behind her and turned to find New Guy again, seeming to not be able to remember his name. But then again, she remembered that he never gave it to her, as she never gave hers to him. He smirked at her surprised expression, "I was hoping you could show me the way again? I've a horrible memory." He admits shyly, a slight grin gracing his face. It did him wonders, she thought, because his dimples showed beautifully under his stubble and it brightened up his eyes.

"Sure." She replies, checking her door to make sure it's locked, then turning the other way like they did yesterday. "Someone should draw you a map, it's quite a large school..." She says teasingly, trying not to make it sound flirty. But he was cute, and she didn't necessarily _want_ to flirt, but it was hard not to.

He chuckles and nods, looking at his feet as they wandered through to the lounge again, "I suppose so. I do at least know where my classroom is and where the football field is." He replies, trying to sound proud but failing. Badly.

She nods and raising her brows, acting impressed, "That's good, _at least_." She says, mimicking his words from before. She goes to the fridge while he takes out a bag of fast food. She grabs her pot of homemade spaghetti she'd made Sunday night for a few days of lunches, then starts to warm it up. New guy sits down at the table, same as yesterday's, and she suddenly hears a curse word being hissed from his lips. She turns to face him, leaning against the counter top, "What is it?" She asks, but realized she didn't need to when she saw his pre-made hamburger/mystery meat, laying on the dirty floor.

He sighs and gets up grumbling, "There goes my lunch." while he throws it away in the trash. He thanked her for her directions and was about to leave until Regina caught him with her words.

"Do you want some spaghetti? I have plenty..." She asks quickly without even thinking, lifting the lid from the pot. "It's homemade." She bargains with a little grin, her eyes sympathetic, though, as she knows he's upset still that he dropped his food.

He smiles a little, "Directions _and_ food, I feel like I'm starting to take advantage of you, Miss Mills. It _is_ Miss Mills, correct? Literature 2?" He asks, making sure he didn't get it wrong.

She presses her lips together shyly and nods, "Indeed, but please don't call me Miss Mills. It makes me sound far too old and I really would rather stay young a little longer. Just call me Regina." She replies, somewhat, politely demanding in a way. If that was possible.

He nods and bends at the hips slightly, almost as if he were bowing. "Ah, pleasure to _officially_ meet you, then." He says with a little smirk. The smirk that made her smile inside, but it was trying to show on the outside too.

"Why are you bowing?" She asks, dipping another plate of spaghetti for herself as she puts the other, now for him, back in the microwave a while longer.

"Regina: the latin word for Queen." He explains.

She raises her brows and replies, "Ah, you know." with a smirk. "I've always said I was a queen but no one believed me." She teases, not being so much flirty this time but more playful than anything, just as she would with anyone else.

He smiles a bit before replying, "I'm the 11th grade vocabulary and spelling teacher, and I've..._hardly..._dabbled in a little bit of Latin language in my college years. It didn't last long, it was too confusing." He says, chuckling slightly as he sits back down where he was before. "But I do have to teach my students a foreign word every once in a while." He replies, sipping at his Coca-Cola.

She nods, leaning against the counter again after she finished dipping her plate. "I see, I see...where did you attend?" She asks, going back to the college subject.

"Ah, nowhere special. Just a little community college back in London."

She nods again and turns back to the beeping mircrowave, taking his spaghetti out and sticking a plastic fork in it. She gives him a napkin, slightly hoping he'll use that instead of his arm again. Otherwise her food OCD may come out. "And your name is?" She asks curiously, heading back to put her plate of spaghetti in, then notices he's waiting for her to come back and eat. What a sweet little gesture.

"Robin, Robin Locksley." He replies, looking back at her. After she's back at her table across from him, they both start eating. "This is absolutely magnificent, Regina. You said this was homemade?" He asks with a mouthful.

She sighs, trying to move past the smear of sauce beside his beard and the piece spaghetti hanging in his stubble. "Yes, it is. Secret sauce; family recipe."

He smiles and nods once, almost like a bow again but only with his neck as he chews his mouthful of pasta. "Well, I'd tip my hat to the chef if I had a hat..." He says with a subtle hint of playfulness in his voice.

Regina was too busy getting her own spaghetti to her mouth to even realize he was flirting with her, so she goes completely oblivious to that simply replying _Thanks_ and eating her spaghetti.

**...**

**...**

Another school day goes by uneventful. New Guy, now actually named Robin, brought his lunch Wednesday again and managed to not drop it on the floor. Once again, it was something completely unhealthy. Regina tried ignoring it as she ate her spaghetti and salad, fresh from her terrace garden. Every summer she'd get beautiful, red tomatoes with so much delicious taste to them. They were so good, she couldn't wait for it to be time to plant more again.

She comes home with Henry around 3:45, going up the outside, metal stairs to their second floor apartment, then going inside. Regina had stopped to get groceries on the way home from getting Henry yesterday, and that was always _so_ much fun going up the stairs and down the stairs a few times for groceries, hauling them to their apartment in the disgusting Atlanta, summer heat. It was an event that usually (and pathetically) made Regina's legs sore the next day.

And that they were, she noticed, as she climbed each steep step. Her hamstrings tightening up a little as she held her heels in her hands, thankful that she wore panty hose today that went around her feet too, otherwise she'd be walking _completely _barefoot and that would just be...a no. She'd decided for the tenth time in just this year that she needed to start going to the gym again. As _if_ she had time for such frivolous things.

They walk inside to their spotless, tiny home. Henry rushes off to the table to do his homework so that he can watch his cartoons before dinner. Regina stalks in further and sees that his shoe is lying on the staircase for the loft. "Henry Daniel, what did I tell you?!" She almost shouts, quickly growing angered that her hard work cleaning doesn't pay off, "Do _not _leave your shoes lying around on the stairs." She says, calming herself down when she sees his little eyes, nodding softly to her. "Someone could get hurt." She says, even calmer now. She proceeds to tell him to put it away after he finishes his homework, otherwise there will be consequences.

She goes into her kitchen, thankfully clean still, and starts preparing dinner for their night. Emma wasn't coming over tonight, and it would just be her and Henry. She decides to make Henry's favorite, macaroni and cheese with hamburger pieces in it, complete with a mandarin orange, fat-free pie.

Forks clink against plates as Regina looks up at her son, "Make sure you eat your peas." She instructs, seeing the boy avoiding them and almost being finished with his pasta. He sighs, doing a slight eye roll and thinking Regina couldn't see it. She let it go, this time, because she was too lost in her thoughts. Her little boy was getting so old, rolling his eyes at his mother already. Too old.

She stayed silent as she reminisced over the first time she held him in her arms. 7 lbs, 5 oz of pure innocence. Only hours before Daniel would die. She teared up thinking about it, and stopped by biting her lip and emerging into conversation with Henry again, making herself forget about her past pain.

Soon after dinner, it was bed time. They had watched an hour's worth of Disney channel, then she picked him up like she used to do and carried him to the stairs for the loft. He slept up there, since it was a two bedroom apartment and the second one was used for an office. (Not because Regina couldn't use the loft for her office, but because Henry thought it was cool once he turned seven, to sleep up in the loft. So she let him.) She stood him back to his feet at the edge of the stairs, he climbed up with her trailing behind him. She laid in bed with him, reading from the first book of the _Kingdom Keepers _series, a book about Disney holograms that came to life at night. She wasn't too awfully impressed with it, but Henry was so emerged with each other the characters. He fell asleep only about three pages in, and she kissed his forehead gently, whispered _goodnight_, and turned his light off after tucking him in.

She went downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen up, turned everything off, then went to the bathroom for her shower. She stripped down until she was nude, slipped inside the shower to turn it on, then decided she should take a bubble bath instead. After all, she deserves it, right? After making it through three days of high schoolers already, she should treat herself to some bubbles and red wine.

So she does. She turns the bath water on, wraps a towel around her naked body, and goes downstairs to pour herself a glass of red moscato, refreshlingly sweet and fruity. The wine bottle was only about halfway used, and she hoped it'd still taste okay because she's had it for months now. She didn't get much time for herself, but once in a while she would drink a glass.

Once she got it back upstairs, her bath water was almost finished pouring and the bubbles came to the top of the tub. She slipped in, turning the faucet off, and took a sip of moscato. She lets a quiet and content moan vibrate against the glass as it slides down her throat, shutting her eyes softly as she takes in the full taste. She turned the music on in her phone, listening to her favorite playlist named _70's. _Not that she was particularly a hippy of some sorts, but she _did _enjoy that music from a time before she was even born. She couldn't connect to the music nowadays the same way she could back then.

She stays in the tub for a while, reading from _TFIOS:_

"_When I reentered my room, I could hear people talking, so I sat on the edge of my bed for a while and listened through my hollow bedroom door:_

_Dad: 'So you met Hazel at Support Group?'_

_Augustus: 'Yes, sir. This is a lovely house you've got. I like your artwork.'_

_Mom: 'Thank you, Augustus.'"_

Regina had to pause and snort there, taking a sip of her wine as her lips curved up into a smile. "Kiss-up." She groans quietly, rolling her eyes. Men...that's what they were most of the times. Kiss-ups.

She kept reading until her bath water started getting cold, she ran out of wine, and the bubbles all disintegrated. She stepped out of the bath, draining the water and wrapping a towel around her. She dries her short hair off first, then proceeds with the rest of her ivory-skinned body.

She doesn't dress, instead, she locks her bedroom door and rummages through her underwear drawer. All the way in the bottom, she pulls out a little toy that gave her all the pleasure she's gotten since she called it off with Graham five years ago. That was enough for the most part, but sometimes she wished she had more, the real thing.

She quieted herself as normal by sticking the pillow over her mouth, keeping her moans of pleasure down inside her chest. She pleased herself, getting off quickly, then put some underwear and a t-shirt on. She slipped under the cold covers, turning off her light and going to sleep with her music still playing.

**...**

**...**

Not surprisingly, Regina woke up the next morning with a song stuck in her head. It was the last song she'd heard before falling into a deep sleep. _Take it to the Limit_ was being hummed as she goes to wake Henry, then gets dressed herself, replacing the robe and few clothes.

On the way to school at 7:30 AM, stuck in the typical Atlanta traffic, a curious little boy in her backseat looks over at the construction site. "Mom? Can we build something?" He asks innocently, thinking it looked so easy to build those tall buildings.

She smirks at him in the rearview mirror, "What do you suggest?" She asks, stifling a yawn as she sticks her coffee mug to her mouth.

There was a few moments of silence, maybe even a full minute. He was thinking, she could tell. "A tree house." He finally announces.

A tree house? In an apartment complex? I'm sure that would go over just fine with the landlord. "Maybe one day, buddy." She says, moving a few feet thanks to the finally, somewhat moving traffic.

He sighs, "If I had a daddy we could build something."

His words broke her heart, resulting in her closing her eyes and taking a harsh breath before explaining, "Sweetie, you know you had a daddy. He loved you very much..." and then another shaky breath, "He would've loved to have met you." Silence. Again. She finally looked back at him fully, seeing as how they were at a stand still. "I've told you about daddy, remember?"

He nods, "Yeah. I just wish I had one _now..._I don't even know how to play baseball." He says like it was the worst thing ever. Which in his eyes, it was. It was hard not having a daddy to teach him how to throw or catch, or how to build things.

Regina sighs and brushes her tongue against her lips, "I know. How about when we get home, we can go to the park and we can play catch. How does that sound?" She asks, turning back around again so she can move a few more feet. After a long silence, he finally answers _yes, _and the car ride felt even longer than it normally was.

Suddenly, she wished she never even came to work today. It ruined her whole day, making her think about Daniel and Henry's lack of physical father. It made her realize she really needed to step up and teach him the things that Daniel would've, otherwise Henry would resent her for it one day.

**...**

**...**

She stands up and straightens up her pencil skirt (which was black, today) and announces, "Make sure you remember to bring note cards in tomorrow and all of next week, as we will be taking study notes on _The Great Gatsby_." to her last class before lunch as they're packing all of their books and pencils up. Some have already left, and she was hoping to get out soon as well. She wants the day to be over with already, and she hasn't even had lunch yet. The morning talk with Henry earlier just ruined her whole day, and she wished now more than ever that Daniel was there to hold her.

She makes her way out of the door – finally, at about 12:20, and there he was as he has been for the past four days with his bright blue eyes, sparkles in them, and the whistle around his neck. "I do hope you don't mind me walking with you every day." He says, leaning against the wall outside of her door.

She takes a deep breath, not really wanting to deal with him today. She locks her door, "Haven't you figured out how to get to the lounge by now?" She asks curiously, a subtle hint of annoyance in her tone of voice.

He walks a little bit behind her through the hallway and replies, "Yes, I have. I just enjoy your company from time to time."

Was that a flirt? Her stomach flipped as she realized that. She's pretty sure it was. Her eyes widened and she looked to the ground so he wouldn't see her blush, trying to think of a sassy comeback and shoots back, "Ah, or is it my spaghetti you enjoy?" with a sassy tone, still not enthralled that he insists on walking with her every day. Especially not today.

He tilts his head to the side guiltily, "That too." He says, turning to the right for the lounge. "But I did bring my own food today, unless you just _want _me to eat your delicious pasta..." He secretly suggests, though she caught the hint immediately.

She smirks and grabs two plates, one for him and one for her. "I _suppose_ you can eat some of the pasta again." She says, even though she knows this will make her bring something else tomorrow, because she's almost out of the pasta now. But she didn't mind, he clearly liked her dish and she was glad she could show it off a little to someone other than Emma and Henry, and sometimes Emma's scraggly boyfriend, Killian.

She prepared it and he waited standing on his feet. Once she went to her table, he sat down across from her in the seat. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asks cautiously before fully down on the seat, squatted over it with his plate hovering the table. She purses her lips together to the side, then shakes her head. "Thanks, it gets kind of lonely over there, don't you think?" He asks, sitting down fully now.

She nods as she takes a dainty bite of food, "You don't look too lonely, usually. You always have your phone with you, doing who knows what..."

"Oh trust me, nothing I _want _to be doing, no one I want to be talking to, either." He replies, not letting on to what he was talking about. Or who, it seemed. She dropped it, not wanting to barge in on his personal life. He takes a bite of food in his usual barbaric way.

She sighs, "Have you ever been shown how to _properly _eat spaghetti?" She asks, trying not to sound rude but from the look on his face, she was pretty sure it came off that way. "You twirl it around your fork, that way you don't get it everywhere, including in your beard and on your cheekbone." She instructs, showing him how with her own fork. He nods as he tries it, then takes the bite. He was still looking at her like he'd been scolded like a child. "I'm sorry...it's just – my son tells me I have food OCD. And I'm beginning to think he's right, because I am constantly concerned about people's food manners. And it comes off rude, just like now...and it – i didn't really mean for it to sound-"

"It's okay," He finally interrupts her, chuckling softly, "I don't mind. I just...I'm not used to being around many people when I eat, that's all. I live alone except for when my boy visits, so therefore I don't think much about manners."

His boy. He has a kid. She tries to not smile at that. She takes the opportunity to ask, "You have a son?" taking another _elegant_ bite. He nods, tells her that his son's name is Roland, and then takes a bite to mimic hers. She laughs a little before she replies, "Well, I didn't pin you as the father type, I guess."

He raises a brow, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

She shrugs, "Simply because in only four days you've managed to eat two plates of my spaghetti, walk with me each of those days, and eat like a-"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't be a father." He fires back, not in an irritated way but more playful than anything.

_Touché_, she thought. She didn't dare say it, letting him know he was right. But he somewhat got the hint when she shut up and took a drink of her lemonade. Instead, she sighs softly as her eyes drift down to his whistle around his neck, the red against the royal blue polo – one of their school colors. "So..." She starts out, swallowing her bite of food, "Why do you wear the whistle everywhere you go?" She asks out of curiosity.

He furrows a brow, looking as though he was not sure of what she was talking about until he saw where her eyes were fixed, "Ah, because I like to. Is that a problem, your highness?"

That was _so_ a flirt. It had to be.

She smirked a little and gave a one-shouldered shrug, "Possibly." She answers simply, trying not to let her voice jump all over the place because he definitely just flirted with her.

He clears his throat and shifts in his seat a little, looking uncomfortable (which wasn't surprising, these chairs were harder than sitting on concrete). "Then I have to ask you, why do you wear stockings in the middle of August?" He asks, going a little out of line and out of her comfort zone, but for some reason she liked it.

She sniffled, trying to seem unphased by his little remark. She looks down at her lip with one, sharp brow flicked upwards, "Ah, because I like to. Is that a problem?" She asks, mimicking his words almost identically.

He sits back in his seat, laying the fork on the empty plate and crossing his arms over his chest, opening his mouth and saying, "You're a little spitfire, aren't you?"

She smirks again and does the one-shoulder shrug thing again, trying to play it cool though her emotions were bouncing off the walls. She tilts her head over and shoots back, "You'll never know, Mr. Locksley."

And that was that. Neither said much more until she finished, but it was a very comfortable silence. He also just made her day 80% better, which made it a lot easier for her to go back in and plan for another day of school ahead.

They got up at about the same time, cleaned off their plates, Robin thanked Regina for the delicious lunch once again, then surprised her – somehow...still – with hisnext words, "I'll see you outside of your classroom tomorrow, same time?" He asks, she could tell that flicker of hope in his tone and it made her hold back a smile.

She tilts her head to the side as though she was pondering her answer, "I suppose you will."

_**...**_

_**...**_

Thursday night was not her normal cleaning time, (especially not after a long, hot playtime in the park with Henry) but she spilled her wine under her bed last night and when she got under there tonight, she realized what a mess it trulywas, and how much she wished – suddenly – that she had a housekeeper or maid.

She was half naked, only in underwear and a t-shirt. Why? She was too hot to wear much else. Their air conditioning was broken, of course, and right, smack in the middle of the hottest August in Atlanta. _Just perfect._

She was so sweaty and stuck to the cheap carpet that she was actually thinking about just quitting, getting it tomorrow when she's not so tired. But she couldn't let herself do that, her clean-freak mind kicked back in and wouldn't let her.

Because her rump wouldn't fit underneath the bed, only her legs were sticking out from under there as she waded through dust bunnies and long-lost socks. Just one sock, none matched to any others. This is where she decided she loses all of the mismatching ones, so she threw them out from under her bed and planned on collecting them when she gets out from under here.

Henry came in the room silently at about nine o' clock. Regina had already put him to bed an hour ago, and she most certainly didn't hear the door openwhen he came in. "Mommy?" A small voice calls out, startling her because she knew she was almost half-naked.

Regina's eyes widen and she hits her head on the top of the bed, hisses a curse word under her breath, and shimmies out. She holds her t-shirt down around her thighs, not really wanting her boy to speak of this in recess or something. She mutters out, "What is it, sweetheart?" while nervously squatting, her t-shirt pulled tight over her knees and stretching the fabric out. She didn't care in this moment.

"I had a really, _really_ bad dream." He admits, clutching on to his stuffed dragon toy that he's had since he was three.

So she got up and went to her closet, pulled some shorts over her legs, and crawled into bed where her son was already waiting. He had his little dragon tucked up against his cheek, somehow still under the covers when Regina had to lie on top of them. "What was wrong in your nightmare, sweetie?" She asks in the motherly tone she carried, stroking his hair off of his forehead.

He sighs and shuts his eyes, swallowing thickly and seeming awfully nervous. "I had a dream that...that Daddy died first and then you died too. And I didn't have you or him..." He goes on further, but most of it becoming babbling. Though she didfeel very sympathetic for him, she knew she couldn't delve in to his nightmares because it could possibly even make them worse. So she continues to stroke his hair and make a _Mm_ or _Mhmm _noise to let him know she was listening.

She finally sang him a song about fifteen minutes later, and before she could even get all the way through, he was out like a light.

It was hours later that she wished someone could sing her to sleep, because Henry was out of the covers now, his dragon named George was between his hip and her belly, his sweaty arm was laying on her drenched, sweat-covered forehead, and he was snoring loudly. Oh, and his foot just landed harshly on her hip. Precious angels, that's what kids are. _Precious. Freaking. Angels._

**...**

**...**

Ah, Friday morning. Finally. The birds are chirping, the sun is almost shining (only because it's not quite 7 AM yet), and Henry's still snoring.

Maybe that last one wasn't as cheery as expected.

She pushes his leg off of her, realizing how surprisingly heavy he was for being such a short and compact kid. "Henry? Wake up, sweetheart. You have to get ready for school." She coos, trying to wake him up but all he did was turn to her, smacking her arm in his sleep. More like punching her arm, with a fist. She groaned and wondered how he could pack such a hard punch. "Henry...wake up." She says with a little more sternness in her tone than before, shaking him slightly.

It took about six tries to get him up, but she finally succeeded. He scurried off to his bathroom in the loft and got ready for school, leaving George the dragon behind. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling fan, still drenched in sweat, and watched the blades go around and around and around until she finally made herself dizzy.

By 7:30 AM, they were sitting in traffic like normal, ready to drop Henry off at the elementary school. "It's your last day of your first week of fourth grade." She says, looking forward through her windshield with one hand on the wheel, one hand resting on the door. When he doesn't answer, she looks in the mirror and smirks, seeing that he'd propped up against the door completely out.

By 8:00, she was running late and rushing in to the school, in to her classroom. She dug for her key and finally found it. She was never this unorganized, nor was she late. It was the heat from last night that threw her off, having to sleep in the bed with her hot-blooded child while the air conditioner was broken was _not_ one of Regina's most favorite memories in her time as a parent.

She sits down at her desk, prepares a few things, then stops when she finally looks up and sees the vase of flowers. She was appalled, but certainly not upset about the beautiful set of various flowers. It was colorful and cheery, something that brightened Regina's day already. She took the note on the card and read it:

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_I may not be a Lit champ,_

_Butpoetry is more you._

_Thoughhere I am, sending you this vase,_

_All because of my clumsiness and your beautiful face._

_-Robin Locksley_

Her heart skipped a beat. _Robin Locksley?! As in...**Robin**?!_

She sighed contentedly and admired her bouquet, reading the poem over and over again and losing track of time. When she finally drifted out of her little haze, she realized that it was already 8:45 and she'd only done about three-quarters of the things she needed to do. She mumbled something explicit and then hurried to finish before her students came in.

Another day, _August 15th _was written on the board, and they were beginning their day.

**...**

**...**

Regina's last class consisted of her constantly checking her phone to see when it was 11:50. At 11:49, she let the students leave early because it's Friday. Or so she says, but her real reason is because she wants to get more water for these flowers, and meet up with Robin.

She finishes her work in her classroom at about 12:00, telling herself she's planned far enough ahead for now and it wouldn't kill her to not do it just this one day, and it's for something important too. So she heads out of the room at 12:05, a little early and hoping Robin would be too. She waits outside of her locked, classroom door for about five minutes, then sees him strolling up.

"Ah, wow...such beautiful flowers you have there. Where did you get them?" He asks as if he knows nothing about it, his hands behind his back as he walks the rest of the way up to her.

She smiles as she watches him come down the hall to her, just then realizing that he actually passes the teacher's lounge to come to her classroom. She messes in the flowers a little before smiling at him, replying, "Someone who could use some poetry help, but got all of the spelling correct." She says, talking as if she didn't see the _-Robin __Locksley_ on there. He leans against the wall with one arm, the (red, today) polo shirt coming up on his upper arm a little, making it look tight around his muscle. He sighs and then she finally gives in, "Okay okay, and why did I deserve such a thoughtful gift?" She asks, raising both brows as she waits for his answer.

He makes her wait for his answer a few seconds, then pushes off the wall. "I think it said that it had something to do with your pretty face...correct?"

"Beautiful, actually." She playfully corrects him, taking the card in between her thumb and index fingers. She bites at her lower lip and awkwardly shifts her weight to one side. It was so unusual for _any _man to unnerve her the way he has, but he's somehow succeeded and she's not sure if she likes it just yet. But for now, she enjoys the flowers and the nice words he has to offer.

He clears his throat and nods once, "Right, that's right..." He says, starting to walk with her to the lounge. "So, I was hoping maybe today, since I've eaten your food every other day, we could go off campus for a bite? My treat, just so I can pay you back for what the pasta had to have cost you." He explains, stopping before they ever got to the lounge. Before Regina could make herself protest, she was slowly nodding. They set a place, and agreed that they would both drive.

She was pulling up to _Panera_ bread in her black SUV, looking around for him. She didn't know what he drove, but she figured he'd be here by now since he left way earlier. She still had the flowers to tend to even after he was walking down the hall to the outer doors.

Once she spotted him in his deep red polo and scratchy, navy blue sweats, she got out of her car with her purse in hand, even though he offered to pay. She smiled when she got up to him and he opened the door for her. Her heart jumped as she tried to not show her excitement and her smile, just from his little gentlemanlike move there. "Thank you." She says as she slips under his arm and into the cold restaurant. Ah, it felt so amazing to be in a place with good A/C.

He nods as a reply and they go in, order, and sit down to wait for their number to be called. Regina put her purse under her feet. He ended up not letting her pay, just as he said before, and she was kind of happy about it.

"So...what made you decide to write the poem, Mr. Literature beginner?" She asks with a little tease in her tone. Maybe this time, just this once, she would admit it was a flirt.

He leans over on the table, not in an un-mannerly way, just to get a little closer to her. It made Regina slightlyuncomfortable, but she didn't ever back down, and now would not be a first. "Why, because you're the Literature teacher, are you not? I'm sure you've read finer poems than that, but it was my best attempt at something I was never good at in high school."

She chuckles softly and sips at her lemonade in the plastic cup with the _Panera _logo on the side. She takes her lips off and replies, "I am indeed. And I have, maybe, but none quite so sweet as the one you gave me." with a little flirtatious hint in her tone again. She liked this whole _flirting_ concept once she got the hang of it.

Truthfully, she had never had to flirt to get Daniel. They had been best friends through junior high and high school, and they finally gathered up enough courage for each other to date. Things went on from there, the ups and downs. And with Graham...he was more of someone who would hit on her before she ever needed to flirt.

Before Robin could reply, their number was called at the pick-up counter and he goes to get it. He comes back with a bowl of soup and a half of a load of bread for Regina, and a panini sandwich for him. When they started eating, she couldn't imagine him being the type to really enjoy this kind of lightweight food, but she kind of settled on the idea that he may have just done it for her.

Even if that _wasn't_ his thought, she was going to think it until said otherwise.

"I see you've been reading The Fault in Our Stars," He starts out, giving a nod toward her purse on the table that clearly shows the electric blue book. She nods, explains that she's just started. "Is it any good?"

"Coming from a Literature teacher almost in her thirties, it's not something I'd read again. But coming from a teen's point of view, I can see why it's so popular."

He tilts his head and smirks a tiny bit, probably the 20th time he's done that since he sat down across from her today. "Well, I _am _just a teenage boy at heart..." He replies playfully.

She laughed, though it wasn't really all that funny. To her it kind of was, and it made her feel completely stupid and like an adolescent for acting this giddy in front of a grown man. But she didn't care, she just wanted to laugh.

Lunch went on, they chattered a little (mostly about school, misbehaving students, and Timothy aka Tina), then went back to the school so that Regina could finish her work, and Robin could teach his two classes he had before football practice tonight.

"You could come watch?" He suggests, "It ends at 8:00, so you could come any time. Maybe bring your boy, Henry?" He asks, remembering she mentioned him earlier.

She nods slowly, pondering the idea. "I'll think about it. Thank you so much, again, for lunch. You really didn't have to. And for the beautiful bouquet."

He smiles and shrugs, "Wonderfully nice people deserve it sometimes, Regina." He answers before waving goodbye, beginning to walk the other way toward his class.

She got in the classroom and turned the light on, leaning against the inside of her door and trying not to squeal as she went through all of what happened. She stared at the beautiful flowers on her desk, her stomach churning from excitement. She only hoped this could be the start of something new.

**...**

**...**

The unpredictable Southeastern rain made Robin cancel the football practice for Friday night, but letting her know that they'd be there on Saturday morning and she's more than welcome to come. So she does.

She got up at 8:30, letting herself sleep in. She woke Henry up and took him to his friend's house where he was having a playdate all day, then heading back to the school. On a Saturday. This was just odd...

He came up and greeted her before she sat down on the bleachers, watching him coach from afar. She was actually somewhat surprised at how good he was at _American football _as he called it, coaching it and knowing what all to do. But then again, she's almost sure the school trained him for it. Right? Yeah...

She thought that until she watched him do the tire line, where the players had to pick their knees up to their chest and land their feet in the tire each time they ran. Robin was – air quote –"showing them how to do it" and fell _flat_ on his face. He got green grass stains all over his pure white polo, luckily he still wore dark pants. He turned his hat backwards as he got up and laughed it off. Regina rolled her eyes.

She was falling in love with a clumsy, British, American football coach and Spelling &amp; Vocabulary teacher, and she just wouldn't let herself know that yet.

**...**

**...**

**_How did we like it? Has it been a good start so far? What did you think of Robin's poetry, a yes or a no? Lol._**

**_Remember to follow this story so you can get updates! The rating of this story _****_WILL_****_ change in a few chapters to M, so please keep that in mind._**

**_Let me know how you liked it by leaving a review! And remember, please:_**

**_If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin' at all."_** **_-Thumper, Bambi._**

**_G._**

**_UPDATE 10/16/14_**

**_Like I explained above, I had issues with the formatting bringing it from my word thing to the site. Each italic word got ran together with the word behind it, and also the last three or so paragraphs were turned into italics. Sorry that it did that and for the confusion!_**

**_G._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello all! **_

_**Okay, hopefully I'll have better luck with my formatting this week. Hopefully. If you see problems with the formatting, please don't point it out for now. Not being rude, promise, just asking that you don't. If there's problems, I've most likely seen them but haven't had the chance to fix yet :) thank you anyway for being very constructive on my stories.**_

_**Some had a few questions and I'll go ahead and answer now:**_

_**Robin will not be having his POV shown. This is simply based off of Regina's POV :)**_

_**Robin knew of Regina because of the class directory given to him by the school. Miss Mills, Literature 2, this classroom. **_

_**And yes, the comments I was speaking of were in the PM's**_

_**Again, I apologize about last chapter. The whole format thing was a pain in the you-know-what. I'm so frustrated that this new computer doesn't have Microsoft Word, and I'm having to use LibreOffice. **_

_**Stick with me, guys, I'm trying. Haha.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**G.**_

**...**

**...**

Sunday morning; Regina has some R&amp;R time all to herself. Henry is gone for the whole day, playing with his friend from school named Paige. She was glad to see him making friends, as he didn't very often.

She gets up out of bed at a little before ten for the second time this morning. The first was to get coffee and the Sunday paper, and now it's to get some brunch. She strolls to the kitchen and takes off a banana that's perfectly yellow – just the way she likes them. On her way into the living room with it, she picks up the piece of paper that she must have dropped earlier this morning. She plops down on the couch and takes a bite of her banana, reading what the paper has to say:

"_Student from an Atlanta High School gets shot and killed."_

This made her worry, this is where she teaches. She reads down further and gasps, not liking what she's reading:

"_Timothy Mendell, son of Greg and Tamara Mendell, was shot and killed Friday night after a mix-up at a dance club. Police say Mendell was not allowed to enter the club, due to him being under age. The club reported that they nicely told him to leave, or they would have to force him to. Mendell did not leave, rather he pulled out a gun. Security caught him before Mendell could shoot anyone, but was this rightful of the security guard?"_

The article went on to say that Timothy was only a minor, and was also intoxicated that night. Regina just scoffs, though her heart is heavy because he _was_ in her class. How could such a young life be ruined by alcoholism? Her thoughts are loudly interrupted by her house phone ringing.

She gets up quickly and rushes to the phone that is currently charging, picking it up and answering, "Hello?" before putting her banana down on the counter top.

"Miss Mills, it is with sadness that I call. A member of your class has passed away, and the whole school is not meeting tomorrow. Please do what you can to let your classes know that there will be _no _class tomorrow, due to the sudden death of Timothy Mendell." A woman's voice says, though Regina knows it well. The secretary, Ms. Blanchard.

"Thank you, Ms. Blanchard. I just read it in the newspaper, my condolences to Tamara and Greg." She replies.

Though Tamara is the principle of the school, Regina wouldn't say she got along with her too well. Regina's worked there longer than Tamara has, and Tamara insists on not raising her pay. Matter of fact, Regina has worked there almost the longest. No one else will stay because of her, and a lot of it is because the students don't mind.

Regina always had a special touch, though, with her kids. No, it's not that she liked everyone and everyone liked her, but she could at least make them do their work and they'd usually get good grades because of it.

The conversation goes on, and Ms. Blanchard hangs up. Regina, then, goes to her directory and makes sure each of the parents are called. She has to leave messages for some of them, but she decides that it's Sunday morning, some may be in church or something.

After all of her work is done, she goes back to the couch and takes out her book, _TFIOS_.

"_My voice was smaller than I wanted it to be. 'Thanks for not trying to see me when I looked like hell.'_

_'To be fair, you still look pretty bad.'_

_I laughed, 'I missed you, too. I just don't want you to see...all this. I just want, like...it doesn't matter. You don't always get what you want.'_

_'Is that so?' He asked. 'I'd always thought the world was a wish-granting factory.'"_

Oh, if only it was that way. She thinks of what all she would wish for: first, she would wish for Henry to have a happy and healthy life. It was cheesy but true. She would wish him whatever he would want – in retrospect, of course. And then for herself, she would wish for a new car instead of the ten-year-old Ford Explorer she's had since it was new. It's been a good car for her and Henry, but it's starting to get sort of old. Needs new things quite often, and Regina doesn't have the money to afford those. And then she would wish herself money, happiness, and maybe a husband.

Oh, a husband. Oh, oh, oh. She had always imagined Daniel would be her husband at this age. At twenty-eight years old, they'd have know each other for twenty years, now, if he was still alive. She misses him dearly each day, but she always knew she had to move on for the sake of Henry.

She then thinks of what Henry might wish for in his ten-year-old mind. The very first thing she thinks of (that he's _already_ told her he wants) is a sibling. She remembers the conversation she had with him about four months ago, innocent and sweet in his curiosity.

"_But mom, Paige has a little sister!"_

"_Henry, honey, it isn't that easy." She replied, wishing he'd just stop asking __**why**__._

She smiles at the sweet little memory, then continues with her book until the phone rang. _Again_.

_Gosh, this was her Sunday morning! Why couldn't people just leave her alone?! _She thought before she answers, "Hello?" with a little bite in her tone, showing she was clearly wishing people would just shut up.

"Regina?" Robin's voice answers, "Hi...Hello. I'm glad I got through to you."

"Robin?"

"Yes, I suppose I should've let you know that..." He replies awkwardly. She realizes his tone of voice isn't normal, a little nervous and strained. "I was hoping that the directory they gave me wasn't wrong, and that this really was your number. And it is."

"Yes, it is." She replies, the bite in her tone slowly leaving as she tries to calm down.

"Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for coming to watch the practice yesterday. I didn't really get a chance before you left."

Regina sits back into the cushions and curls her legs up under her, leaning on the arm, "Oh, I had to get Henry to his friend's house. He spent the night there last night and he was begging me to go before you had finished. Sorry about that."

"It's quite alright, I was just hoping to ask you yesterday what I'll be asking now: Would you like to go have lunch with me today?" He asks, making Regina smile and bite her lip to keep from smiling even larger. "I...thought my boy was coming over for the day but fate just isn't in my favor with him lately. Our plans were to go to McDonalds, but I'm sure we can find somewhere else much better to go?"

She situates herself on the couch, trying to will herself not to stand up and rush to her bedroom to start getting ready. "Sure, I have no plans today until it's time to pick Henry up at seven. Say, Steak n' Shake?" She asks, already straightening her legs to stand up and still trying to keep calm.

"Sounds great, meet me there at noon?"

She nods, though he can't see her, and tells him she'll be there. As soon as she hangs up the phone, her feet hit the ground running and she goes to her room, scurries through her closet, and picks out an outfit. Jean shorts and a black, fitted t-shirt. No...no, no, no. Too young looking. She takes it all off and heads back to her closet in bra and panties, throwing her other clothes on her bed. She then gets out a maxi skirt and a tank top and tries that on in the mirror. She's so overly pleased with this one that she cracks a big smile. She lifts her arms and realizes a harsh fact: she should've shaved. But she has no time to, now, after all it's already 10:30 and she still needs to do her hair and makeup. She realizes another harsh fact: she needs to stop acting like a giddy schoolgirl.

By 11:00, she's dressed in a whole different outfit – skinny jeans and a loose fitting, deep red blouse – and is sitting on the couch checking her phone. She scrolls down her Facebook probably six times, then decides she should get her shoes on at 11:30, leaving about fifteen minutes early to get to Olive Garden.

When she gets there, she looks around for Robin's car. She spots him at 11:51, pulling up in a sporty car that Regina didn't know of. She wasn't much knowledge when it came to types of cars, but she knew this one was definitely a nicer one. She gets out with her purse in hand, just like she did Sunday. She brushes her clean, lint-free jeans off and looks up to see him standing there on the sidewalk. He smiles before saying, "Good morning, m'lady. I'm so glad you could join me." with a hand extended for her to step up onto the concrete with him.

She takes it and nods as thank you before replying, "I'm glad you called." as she looks at his attire. She smiles inwardly at herself, realizing he's a little more dressed up than she originally expected. Maybe she should've kept the maxi skirt, just changed the shirt. _Too late now,_ she thinks. "If I would've known you would be so dressed up I would've been too. What's the occasion?" She asks as he holds the door for her, walking inside.

"Well, my mother always told me to dress my best on my birthday. So I did, I hope you don't mind?"

_I most definitely do not. _"Not at all," She chuckles lightly, "I didn't know it was your birthday, though. Happy birthday." She commends with a warm smile before telling the hostess _two_ and walking with her to be seated.

They sit down and he takes a deep breath, shrugging before answering her earlier, unasked question of why he didn't mention it. "I know I didn't tell you, but I just...I was a little upset today. Like I said, my boy was supposed to spend the day with me and it was obviously a downer to find out he wasn't. But now I have you, so it's all okay again." He declares with a happy smile, making Regina blush and raise her menu to hide it.

"I'm sorry to hear about your son, it must be hard being away from him." She reflects, acting like she's reading the menu even though she knew what she was getting. Five-cheese ziti, as usual.

He shrugs again, not saying anything as he picks his menu up. There's a short moment of comfortable silence between them as he looks over the menu. He lays it down on the table and closes it, fixing his button on his baby blue, button-down shirt. "Do you know what you're having?" He asks, still messing with the button.

She lays the menu down as well, closing it and clasping her hands underneath the table. "Five-cheese ziti; it's what I always get when I get the rare chance to come here."

He nods, "Ah, you don't come here often?"

"No, Henry isn't a cheap date." She teases, picking her toes up off the ground as she watches him fumble with that little white button, then realizing that his hands are shaking.

It pops off and lands in Regina's empty wine glass that the restaurant leaves on the table. They both laugh but his face is pretty red with embarrassment, "Well then..."

She picks it up out of her glass and hands it back to him, "I can fix that if you'd like me to. I'm not all that great at sewing but I'm pretty handy when it comes to fixing buttons. Henry gets a little rough with the clothes that start to get too small sometimes..." She admits..

He hands it back, "Then I suppose you should keep it, that way my clumsy self doesn't lose it." He says with a little smirk. "Speaking of clumsy...I _do_ hope you didn't see my little..." His voice trails off as he tilts his head, trying to make Regina feel guilty, is what she guessed.

"I did." She picks up, realizing he's implying the little fall yesterday, "You have quite the footwork, there, Mr. Locksley." She teases, tilting her head forward and narrowing her eyes playfully.

He sighs and leans against the table, defending himself and saying that his shoelace was untied. Regina doesn't believe this, though, and he admits that it may have been tied, but he was almost positive that it was coming undone before the tire line was over, and he needed to fix it right away. The waitress comes to the table and they order their food; Regina getting the ziti and Robin getting the fettuccine alfredo with chicken.

"That's my second favorite dish, the alfredo." Regina says as she hands the waitress the menus.

"Really? It's what I get every time I come here, I've never tried anything else."

Regina knows, then, that their mutual love for Italian food could make this a great, wonderful conversation. And it was, it ended up being a conversation that lasted up until their dishes came out – hot and steamy. They immediately dig in and exchange on how good their food is.

"Would you like to try mine?" Regina inquires, scooting her half-empty plate towards him and suggesting he take a bite. "It's delicious."

He smiles and answers, "Why, thank you." while sticking his fork in and grabbing a cheese and sauce covered noodle, bringing it to his mouth and eating it. "That's very delicious. I may have to eat that the next time that I come here." He says, trying not to talk with his mouth full, but it was just too good.

She chuckles and watches as he struggles, "I know, see why I always get this?" She asks and takes another bite.

Their food conversation went on for a few more minutes, then Regina brought up the subject of Timothy. "He was in my class...he who was actually a she last year." She explains awkwardly, pushing her plate away from her and ready to ask for a box. She couldn't finish it all, it was too much.

He raises and brow and asks, "The principle's son?" while pushing away his empty plate, wiping his face with his napkin. She nods in reply. "I thought something was sketchy with him. He tried out for the team but didn't make it. His run wasn't good at all."

"That's because he was a she and had always been a horrible runner."

He sits back in the booth and lays his napkin in his lap. "Wow...wonder what made her change? Had to be something tragic, right?"

She shrugs, "Greg and Tamara were no help, I'm sure. They were not very stable themselves, Greg more than Tamara." She answers, sipping at her lemonade.

He looks down at her drink and chuckles, curiosity getting the better of him, "Is that all you ever drink? Lemonade?"

She looks down as well and raises a brow at the sudden change of subject, "Yes, pretty much. Water sometimes." She answers, a little thrown by the odd question.

"Do you ever drink? You know, _drink?_" He asks.

"You would love to know, wouldn't you?"

"I'll take that as a yes." He states sarcastically, crossing his arms over one another, "I could take you out for a drink some time, though you'd have to tell me where. My places I've been have consisted of family-friendly restaurants and play-parks for Roland." He answers, leaning against the table with a smug little grin.

She leans back, and keeps one hand on her drink, playing with her straw and staring at it. Her lips were a little to the side, pressed together as she tried to keep a smile from appearing. "If I didn't know better, it sounds like you want me drunk, Mr. Locksley?"

"Please, just Robin." He corrects playfully, mimicking what she said about her name the other day, "And no, I just thought it might be nice to see Atlanta's night life that doesn't involve tokens and games..."

She sighs and looks up, still messing with the black straw. She replies, "We can have drinks, but not on a school night. I am strictly Henry's on nights and my students need my full attention in the mornings, and I wouldn't be able to do that very well if I still had a headache from the night before." making her rules clear.

"Then it's set. Next Saturday night at...?"

"The Rabbit Hole. It's down the street from the school."

He nods, "I'll pick you up?"

"Is this a date, Robin?" She finally asks, leaning forward again and furrowing one brow as she gives him a soft glare.

He brushes his tongue lightly, making Regina think it had to almost tickle. "I suppose it is, isn't it?"

Her heart leaps with excitement, and she so badly wants to squeal. She hadn't had a _real_ date in ten years since Daniel died. Sure, she had those one night things with Graham...but this was so different. Instead of squealing, she swallows, nods, and plays it cool, "Pick me up at eight, Henry will be in bed by then and Emma will be off work. She's the babysitter."

He smiles a little, those dimples showing through his stubble. "And what about tomorrow? Both of us have a day off, I suppose. Are you doing anything interesting?"

She hadn't really thought much about it, due to it happening so soon before Robin called. Henry would still be in school, and she would have the house to herself again. "I...hadn't really thought about it very much..." She replies, her voice much smaller than it was a few sentences ago.

He leans against the table again and smiles, "I'm not pressuring you to do anything, am I, Regina?" He asks seriously, she could hear the genuine tone of voice.

She shakes her head and emits a soft chuckle, "Please...I was more than joyed to hear you on the phone this morning."

"Then how about we go to the park tomorrow? Just for a stroll, maybe feed some ducks and all that nonsense, then have a little picnic? I'll supply the food and drinks, and you just supply...you."

She smiles again before replying, "I'd like that." and biting her lip. "You sure know how to sweep a woman off her feet, don't you, Robin?" She asks, feeling like he's done this too many times.

He shrugs, "Only the beautiful ones."

…

…**...**

Sunday night, Regina and Henry are both curled up on the couch as she reads from the Kingdom Keepers to him. His little eyes follow along with each word, listening to the sound of his mother's sweet and soothing voice. She soon feels him become more and more relaxed, then realizes he's snoring. Oh, he's just like Daniel.

She picks him up and decides to carry him up the stairs tonight, seeing how peaceful he was and just out of it in general. He's getting so heavy, though, that it's harder for her to carry him nowadays. But step-by-step she finally gets to the loft, lays him on his bed, kisses his cool forehead, then covers him up and turns his lamp off. "Goodnight my little prince." She whispers before going downstairs.

She goes to the kitchen for a little after-dinner snack, some ice cream. She felt guilty eating it while Henry was asleep, him not knowing what was going on. But she wanted some and she wasn't going to wake him up so he could join her. She dipped herself some chocolate-chip cookie dough and drizzled some chocolate syrup over it, sitting on the couch and curling up with a blanket and her book. Hazel, Augustus, and Hazel's mom were all just boarding the plane to go to Amsterdam. It was starting to bore her a little.

She grabs the television remote and the news is the first channel on – local news, of course, talking about Timothy's death. She sighs, not irritably in the rude way, but irritably in the way that she's already tired of hearing about it. It was sad, definitely, but she just wished they wouldn't over-do everything about this.

She finishes her ice cream and goes to bed early, smiling when she thinks about her little date tomorrow at the park with Robin. It makes her stomach flip when she starts thinking about the courageous question she asked: _Is this a date, Robin?. _And his answer...his answer was so rewarding.

That night she has a dream of them. They're at the park, walking side-by-side and hand-in-hand. They walk back to his car – the sporty one – and they both get in. He kisses her lips deeply as soon as the two sit in their seats, then the dream changes. They're in his back seat suddenly – touching, feeling, kissing...and...oh the moaning. She puts a finger on his lips as he is about to kiss her again, shakes her head, and smiles deviously. He gets the hint, apparently, moving the obstructive clothing from her legs and slipping around on her sensitive area.

Then the alarm goes off for her to take Henry to school. She wasn't sure whether to be mad or to be thankful, almost wanting to see how that fling would end.

…

…**...**

The traffic is absolutely grueling today as Regina fumes in the driver's seat, waiting in the mess of downtown Atlanta to get Henry to school. He peeks around the seat at the clock on the dashboard, "Mom! I'm going to be-"

"If you say it one _more _time, Henry, no cartoons _all _week!" She snaps, rubbing her forehead as she shut her eyes, trying to calm her pounding headache. Another _But mommmm_ emits from the backseat and she throws her hands up and shouts, "That's it, Henry! What would you like to do about this, hm? Walk there?" as she whips around to look in the back seat at him, wide and angry eyes. He gives her a sheepish look and shakes his head. "That's what I thought. We just have to be patient." She sighs as she hits her head against the window, realizing how late he really will be. They left the same time they always do, but the traffic was horrifying. There has to be an accident or _something_ up ahead. _Has _to be.

Inch-by-inch the traffic was sluggishly moving and it ended up taking thirty extra minutes just to get him to school. Regina walked him in and personally apologized to his teacher, making Henry's face beat red with embarrassment, "Okay, Mom...you can go now." He mumbles irritably.

She looks back at him from the front of the class and realizes the fact that her little boy is getting embarrassed because of her. She smirks in her head and nods, apologizing to the teacher again before exiting the class room, then exiting the school.

She brushes her hands through her hair and tilts her head to the left, cracking her neck, then to the right, cracking it again. She's suddenly glad she had a relaxing day yesterday, because this one already started out just great and she still has to get home in the other side of the traffic. Just _great._

…

…**...**

On her journey back to their home, she had to wait in traffic for another thirty extra minutes. Both ways were jammed.

After she finally reaches the apartment complex, she checks her watch to see it's almost 10:30. She heads up the stairs, in her apartment, and then straight to the bathroom to take a quick shower (taking note to shave, planning on wearing that cute tank top outfit like she had chosen yesterday). Afterward, she gets dressed and fixes herself up and just simply waits. She decides to leave early, making sure she got there at exactly noon. The park was only five minutes away by foot, and that's how she would go to avoid the possibility of traffic on the two minute drive there.

She slipped some sandals on and walked out of the door with a plastic bag of stale bread in her hand for the ducks. She swings it by her thigh as she walks to the park, smirking a little as she remembers her minor wet dream from last night. She still couldn't believe herself for doing that. But clearly that's what her mind was on before she fell asleep, just...subconsciously. She didn't necessarily _try_ to think of it, her mind was just wandering.

She got there at precisely 11:50 – according to her watch – and stood there waiting for him. He walks up with a little picnic basket in his left hand – actually a rather large basket, and a red and white plaid blanket strung over his right arm. He waves at her and smiles cheekily, then Regina starts walking toward him. "Hello, Regina. It's a beautiful day out, isn't it?" He greets, smiling still as they walk to the spot under the shade tree, right in front of the pond.

"It is, it's a tad bit warm but it'll do." She replies, holding the picnic basket for him while he spreads the blanket out on the ground. She lifts it up a few time like she was lifting weights, "What all did you bring? This thing feels like it has a ton of rocks."

He finishes spreading the blanket out across the grass, straightening it before motioning her to sit. He takes the basket, "I failed to ask what kind of deli meat you prefer, so I just bought about eight different kinds of meat." He replies with a little smirk, sitting down after she does.

She could feel herself blush, letting out a chuckle. He sure did like to go overboard sometimes, like now. Eight different meats just for her and him? This could be hilariously pathetic, or dashingly romantic that he cares enough to buy a variety. She wasn't sure yet, but she would find out sooner than later. "You did what?!." She asks, chuckling slightly and shaking her head, "I like all of them." She states, noticing that she burst his bubble a little – unintentionally.

She observed that he suddenly slouched a little, seeing the brow furrow down towards his eyes. "Oh." He simply answers, "Oh well, we have plenty now." trying to cheer up over the fact that he just bought fifty-dollars worth of meat.

"That just leaves more for another day of school lunch, right?" She answers, making a better effort at cheering him up. He nods and she smiles, "I think we could make that work, you bring lunch one week and I bring it the next?"

"That sounds quite delightful." He answers sarcastically, "Though mine will be no where near as delicious as yours, because yours is homemade goodies, mine is...leftover deli meat." and reaches for the loaf of bread. He undoes the twisty tie and hands the loaf to Regina, letting her get her pieces out first. She dodged the heel of the bread and went straight for the second piece.

"Sorry, I really don't like the heel."

"Me either," He says, shaking his head, "More for the ducks." Then grabs his pieces from the bag.

They make their sandwiches as they discuss their new school lunch plans, deciding that would work out well as long as Robin also brought dessert (since he was just bringing – quote – "leftover deli meat"). It was agreed on.

During the luncheon there was a nice breeze, warding off the heat that at first made her get a light layer of sweat coating her body. She couldn't help but drop her eyes down to his lips every once in a while, just wondering what they felt like on hers. She just couldn't get the thought out of her head about last night's dream, the way he kissed her and then she stopped him. _Regina, stop _she thinks. This is only the first date. "So...your son? Does he like coming to the park?"

He nods and swallows his bite. (She noticed he was getting better and more conscious of his manners, which made her smile to herself slightly). "Oh, more than anything. If it's a nice day like this, it's usually where we are when he's with me. But he takes to the playground more, feeding the ducks, and eating McDonalds to-go opposed to a picnic blanket and good company." He responds, taking another bite.

She blushed a little. Was she really that good of company? She sucked her lips in her mouth and set down the half of the sandwich next to the untouched half. "I'm glad that you feel I'm good company, the feeling is mutual."

He shoots one of those dashing smiles that makes his dimples very apparent and she couldn't help but feel her stomach flip. Damn, that handsome smile. It could make a woman go crazy.

After they had both finished, they were leaning back side-by-side with their arms placed behind them. They watched as the ducks invaded the pond, splashing around and being particularly playful. Robin pointed out that it looked like they were showing off, but Regina just stared at him in awe. How could one think a duck had a particular reason to be doing something, other than instinct? They didn't know to _show-off_...they're just ducks.

"You really don't think animals do things purposely sometimes?" He asks, taking a sip of his freshly-squeezed lemonade that he'd made.

She nods and counters, "They don't have that kind of thought process."

"I just think you don't imagine enough." He retorts sarcastically, but there was truth in his voice too, Regina could tell.

"Oh you don't? Well, how about that cloud up there." She answers, looking up and pointing to their right a little. "_I _say it looks exactly like a dog." then takes a swig of her lemonade.

He looks up at the cloud and spots the one she was pointing to, "Ah, indeed. And the one to the left of it looks like a queen's crown."

She nods and the little game goes back and forth for probably ten minutes before they pack up their lunch and blanket, sticking it all in the basket. Robin takes it to his car so that the birds wouldn't get to it, then comes back to Regina. She already has the half-loaf of stale bread open, crumbling it in her hand. She places some in his hand and they begin to feed every waddling, swimming, or playful duck that comes by. They laughed as one duck carried it away from another, then the mad duck came back after it. It was a little miniature fight that was completely harmless; Robin threw another piece of bread to the hungry one so there would be no more fighting. "Good little duckies." He coos, tossing another piece. Regina was watching him from the corner of her eye and smiled, biting her lip to keep from the corners of her lips pulling up even further. "Wonder why they like bread so much?" He asks, lazily tossing another piece out.

She shrugs, "I really don't know." and sighs. They had moved so far away from the cars, they were on the complete other side of the pond. It was surprisingly big for just being one of the man-made types. "I guess it's for the same reason they like to '_show-off'._" She replies, making fun of him for his earlier statement, using air quotes on her last two words. He sneers playfully and throws a piece of bread at her, resulting in her shrieking. _A shriek? Gosh, Regina, pull it together. _She shouts back, "Excuse you!" and throws a piece of her own bread at him, gathering time for herself to pull it together.

He laughs and it suddenly snowballs into this bread-fight, surrounding them in ducks. They were too busy laughing to even notice the lightning distant in the sky, distant enough so that the thunder was barely audible unless they were quiet. But they most certainly weren't being quiet; the shrieks, yells, and laughs were proof of that.

Only moments later – not even moments, _seconds _later, large raindrops were plopping on their heads. "Oh my gosh!" She vociferates, closing her eyelids to shield her eyes from the sudden downpour.

He chuckles, "Oh, here...do you want to go to the car?" He yells though the loud patter of rain. She shakes her head and smirks deviously before throwing a piece of bread at him. He runs to her with a mission and throws her and her squealing-self over his muscular shoulder.

"Robin! Put me down this instant!" She yells, playfully slapping at his back. He shakes his head and gives her a simple _no _before running them to the pond. "Robin! We're going to fall in the pond!" She bellows, her voice sounding as if they were running off a cliff.

"I know, that's my intention." He explains as they suddenly emerge into the pond. Regina shrieks from the somewhat cool water hitting her everywhere. They were both uncontrollably laughing at themselves, her hair fell in front of her eyes and she was smiling through an open mouth. "You!" She growls.

Robin looks offended while asking, "Me?" in an innocent tone, bringing his hand up to his chest as though he was hurt by her words. She pushes him and he pulls her to her without a warning, bringing her head to his and pressing their lips together. He reaches up and pushes her hair backwards and out out of her eyes as they deepen the kiss with her hands cupping his cheeks. Her thoughts were buzzing left and right in her mind, trying to escape through her muffled lips as a squeal.

After a few moments, she's the first to pull away (pushing Robin away, really). Robin looks at her nervously and murmurs, _I'm sorry_, making Regina realize that he thought she didn't like it.

So she steps closer and wraps her arms around his waist under the water, "Don't be." She whispers before leaning again and pressing her lips to his again.

…

…**...**

They ran to his car in the rain, still soaking and dripping, themselves. He grabs a towel from the trunk and hands it to Regina.

"Is this the only one you have?" She asks, not wrapping it around her yet. He nods and shrugs, wiping the rain from his eyes. "Here..." She says, wrapping it around him as well. Their bodies were touching, his was warm and smelled so...so manly. She couldn't decide the word for it except for masculine. Forest, rain (of course), and like the smell of vanilla. Warm vanilla, a distant scent of a cologne that was once on his clothes before the rain and pond water washed it off.

"Thank you." He mutters, getting closer to her. They stayed like that as the rain only sprinkled on their heads now. "Did you..." He pauses and looks around the grass parking lot, "Did you walk here?"

She nods, "I only live right back there in those apartments." She states, pointing to the small and junky looking complex. She knows it isn't much, but she's always made it work for her and Henry. "It's not far at all."

"Well I can't have you walking home drenched like this, can I?" He asks, taking the corner of the long beach towel and drying her arm off with gentle sweeps.

Her eyes move down to where he was touching her arm, "I..." her voice trails off as he keeps moving up her arm, drying her whole upper arm.

"You what?"

She looks over her shoulder at him, he was slightly behind her with the front of his right hip pressing against the back of her left hip. Her lips were slightly parted as her dark brown eyes drifted to his lips again. She leans in, kissing him first this time. Shutting her eyes and turning her neck to reach him better, she takes her right arm and cups his cheek.

After a few moments, the rain had picked up again. They pulled away mutually, laughing a little and looking straight into each others eyes. "I think I should take you home." He whispers, looking softly in her eyes.

She nods and whispers back, "I think that would be best." before kissing him once more and then giddily running to the passenger side. She steals the towel from him and it makes him grunt playfully. She spreads it over the seat in an attempt to not get the leather too awfully wet.

He climbs in the car and the air was blasting, no music was playing. She looks around a little and observes her surroundings, seeing how clean this car was kept. She didn't imagine him to be clean, but she supposed when it came to men and cars, they're clean.

When they arrived at her apartment only two minutes later, Regina notices the time on the clock in the dash – 5:00. She wouldn't have to leave to get Henry for at least another hour and a half. She looks down as he stops the car next to her SUV, "Do you want to come in? I'll give you a dry towel."

He looks at her, seeming a little surprised that she would ask him this. But he nods and replies, "Thank you." before turning the car off, getting out and running over to sweep Regina off of her feet and into his arms. He smirks, "Can't let a pretty lady walk in the rain. But carrying is acceptable."

Her heart warmed in the summer heat, the warm rain was dripping down his face and off his hair. She bit her lip, "So do you do this for all of the pretty ladies?"

He chuckles and stops once they get under the roof, "Only the really beautiful ones, who kiss me in the pond and whose name happens to be Regina."

"Ah, well I guess it's a good thing that Regina is an uncommon name." She teases. She looks up the stairs, "Up there, 318 B." She points out, noticing he was waiting for her directions.

She rides in his arms all the way up the stairs, surprised that he didn't make her walk. Not that she was complaining, though. "You're as light as a feather, Regina." Robin states as he sets her down in front of her apartment. She takes the key from her purse and opens the door.

She walks in first, "Here's the beautiful home..." She announces playfully, setting her things down. "I'll go get you a towel." then walks to the bathroom. She looks in the mirror and chuckles at herself, the way her makeup was running down her face. Oh, she looked like a clown. She only imagined that this is what Robin saw when they had their first kiss.

She comes back out with the towel and throws it at him, and he laughs, "Thank you."

"You're a good catcher. At least you have better skills in that field than in your footwork..." She teases, wrapping a towel around her and putting her hair up in a short, _short_ ponytail. He rolls his eyes and attempts at defending himself again with the lame shoelace excuse. She just murmurs _Mhmm_ and sits down on the couch. It was leather and wouldn't hurt it if it got wet. She looks around at her lack of seating, other than the chair that Emma had broken the other night. "You can come sit, I don't bite too hard."

"Ha-ha." He replies, drying his hair. He jumps when the sudden clap of thunder shakes the whole apartment, vases and picture frames vibrating on the walls. "Whoa..."

"Yeah...that doesn't sound good. You really shouldn't be out in that traffic when it's this bad of weather, it's not good at all."

"Thank you, mother dearest, but I can't impose in your home."

"Oh please do." She says with a warm smile. "Really, Robin, I don't want you hurt. We just had our first kiss." She teases.

He rolls his eyes and takes up her offer, sitting on the couch. She was on the left cushion, he was on the right. The whole middle cushion was between them, they both had towels wrapped around their bodies. "I had a really great day, Regina." He announces after a few moments of comfortable silence.

She nods, biting her lip. She mutters out "I-", and before she had the chance to finish, the lights flashed off. The air. Everything. "I guess something hit the box..." She says, getting up and finding the lighter in the dark. She goes around and lights each candle she had by memory, illuminating the living room with low, flickering light. "At least we can see now."

He looks over at her, and she notices the heavy stare. It wasn't as though she had something in her teeth, but as he was watching the flicker of reflection from the candles in her eyes. "Yeah...we can."

She bites her lip, seeing the way his blue eyes flickered. She smiles down in her lap and fiddles with her fingers before scooting a little closer to him, but not crossing the cushion line.

He scoots closer, but moves a lot more than she did. He's practically on top of her, which startles her a little but in a good and daring way. "Do you want to kiss me as much as I'd like to kiss you? Again?"

She looks up at him and nods, replying, "Yes." and they both, simultaneously leaned into each others cool lips.

Their hands slowly moved to each other, wandering a little bit more than they had in the pond two hours ago. Wandering, searching, discovering...getting warmth from each other and pressing closer. Robin was the first to move even closer, sitting sideways and Regina followed suit. Her right knee was bent under her, between them, and his left knee was under hers. He cupped her cheek as his other hand roamed around her back. Finally, he left her lips and started peppering kisses down her neck. "Wait." Regina hisses nervously, afraid she gave a wrong signal. "I...I'm not ready to have sex with a man I just met a week ago."

"My intentions are to only kiss you...is that okay?" He replies softly, seeing the fear in her eyes. She nods and he continues with his work, kissing down her neck and shoulder. Her hands roamed on his strong, perfectly sculpted arms as her head fell back, feeling a lustrous feeling building up in her that she hadn't felt in a while. She stops him again with her hand on his chest, that feeling becoming unbearable.

This time, she looks down at his shirt. "Do we only have to kiss?" She whispers, looking down and brushing her tongue over her lips.

He shakes his head and slides his hand from her back to her shoulder, her shoulder to her collarbone, and finally her collarbone to her breasts. She nods approvingly and he kisses her again.

She leaned back on the arm of the couch, the leather squeaking beneath her from her being drenched. She wraps her arms around his neck, letting him lie on top of her body easily. Their lips met yet again as his hands gracefully roamed on her breasts, feeling through the two layers of thin material for more. More sensation, more flesh, more everything.

"Mmph..." She groans in a muffled way, feeling him start to massage instead of just rub. His strong fingers kneaded into her, relaxing her body more and more with each stroke around her sensitive area. She pushed him away again, letting their lips unlock with a pop. She pulls the bottom of her shirt up and over her head with no shame in her eyes, only a look of innocence. She nods, giving him the okay to move along.

He nods in reply, giving little, slow movements as he's impressed with her. She seemed so..._good_ to him. Nothing like he expected. He gently takes the black material away from her breast, exposing her dark pink nipple. He looks down as if he were stunned, pausing a moment and making Regina a little nervous. She was just about to ask what was wrong until he leaned down and wrapped his lips gently around her. She shut her eyes tightly and swallowed hard, her throat dry and her breaths uneven.

She has to bite her lip to keep from moaning already. She hadn't had this kind of pleasure in years, not since Graham's tragic death. Even then, it wasn't with someone she actually had a bit of feeling for. It was just to get them through the nights. She squirms a little under his weight as he wisps his tongue over her erect and hardened bud. "Like that..." She murmurs unintentionally.

He takes his mouth away for a moment, then leans back down to finish his job. His other hand, by this point, was already groping at her other breast, caressing it and giving it the same clothed attention as he did this one. He finally takes the bra away and start gently rubbing her nipple between his fingers.

The pleasure inside of her was insane. She hadn't ever felt like this just from a man touching her, rubbing her and doing these wicked things. But it was undeniable and unpreventable that she was going to come just from this. Her legs started rubbing together against his, her hips coming up and grinding against his hard erection. She wished so badly that she could just bring herself to forget her morals, to just _let _him show her how he could really love her. How he could take her like a man. But she couldn't do it, she couldn't put that on herself just yet.

He felt her squirm more and more underneath him, then slips his lips from around her, "Are you coming, Regina?" He asks huskily, looking at where her eyes would be if her eyelids weren't covering them currently. She sucks both lips in and nods in an embarrassed manner. She was embarrassed. She didn't feel like it was quite acceptable to be coming at just these simple things like this, but she was. He smirks a little, though Regina couldn't see it.

He returns to her nipple, switching and moaning a little as he took the other one into his mouth. It was warm and hardened from him rubbing it while giving more attention to the other side. She accidentally let a moan slip out as he wisped his tongue over this one, now. "Oh..." She groans, squirming again before her stomach tightened up. She gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes, holding his arms tightly as she climaxed.

She bit her bottom lip after about ten seconds, feeling her cheeks redden from more embarrassment. She didn't open her eyes, she was too nervous she'd see his staring back at her as if he were wondering what the hell is wrong with her. Instead, she felt his thumb brush along her cheek, "You're beautiful, stunning in every way." He whispers before kissing her forehead.

The forehead kiss: It meant more than the making out ever did. It made her stomach warm up and she opened her eyes, replying, "Thank you." in a small voice, smaller than she truly wanted it to be.

…

…**...**

The week went by surprisingly fast. They would continue to sit down and have leftover deli meat sandwiches, complete with _Oreo_ cheesecake Tuesday, _Chips Ahoy! _chocolate chip cookies Wednesday and Thursday, and a slice of regular vanilla cake with chocolate icing on Friday.

Each day that went by, Regina couldn't help but remember Monday evening; the way he made her feel, the way he touched her and held her...all of it. She only wondered if he cared as much about that as she did, but she was just too afraid to ask him.

"Are you coming to football practice tonight? I was hoping that afterward we could grab a bite to eat maybe? Possibly Olive Garden?" He asks, cleaning up their lunch mess and throwing it in the garbage.

She wrinkles her nose, "Olive Garden has always been this special..._treat._ If I go regularly now, I'll end up spoiled. So no...I was thinking somewhere simple. Like Sonic."

"Sonic?" He asks, seeming confused as to what that was.

"Oh my- Robin! You've never had Sonic?"

"No..." He replies guiltily, not seeing the big deal.

She shakes her head, "We're going to Sonic then. I'll ask Emma to stay a little longer at the apartment so we can go."

"Sounds good." He says, kissing her gently on the lips. She smirks a little and brushes her tongue over her lips, tasting where his lips had just been. "I'll see you at practice then." He says with a little smile, pushing the door open for her.

She turns to him as she walks out, "I suppose you will." She says as she re-positions her reading glasses on the top of her head. She forgot to leave them at her desk today, she was too focused on getting to Robin.

He emits a short chuckle and kisses her cheek this time, turning one way as she turned another.

They both walked away with a happy feeling in their stomachs, a bubbly one. One full of hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the new chapter! Thank you for following and reading! I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

**Also, I meant to change the rating to M on the last chapter, but it will definitely be changed this time.**

**G.**

_**UPDATE 10/27/14**_

**A few people were saying that I was straight out copying the story _A Baker's Dozen. _I don't see how I was, but please if you have an issue with it ignore it because I wasn't intentionally plagiarizing. I think what people _thought _I was trying to copy was the scene in his room, but I can promise you I was most certainly not. I do not plagiarize, it is low and frankly stupid. **

**Anyway, I'm debating on whether or not this story should go on, because it is an AU, so will people constantly be thinking I'm copying _A Baker's Dozen_?**

**G.**

**..**

**...**

Saturday morning, Regina sits at her desk with her cup of steamy, 100% Colombian coffee (with a spritz of sweet crème) while grading papers from yesterday. It's the first quiz that her students had for the year, and most of them have been doing pretty well so far.

Her attention is shared, though, between three different takers. One: Henry's cartoons blaring on the television in the living room – that she's already told him once to turn down. Two: the papers that are setting in front of her – one stack of graded and one stack of to-be-done. Three...three is Robin.

She picks up her phone from her lap and smirks, seeing his flirtatious little text. Just three words made her smile so easily: _Good morning beautiful_ is all that it said, but it was more than enough for her. She replied with a blushing smile emoji, then sends back, "Good morning handsome."

The conversation went back and forth, from _what are you doing _to _what about later today._

Regina knew this was a test, one he was giving to see if she remembered their date tonight. "If I recall correctly, I have a hot date at a bar." She sends back, pleased with herself as she smiles and tries to continue grading papers. She only adds one more to the finished pile before he replies again.

"Ah, who is the lucky man?"

Her fingers dance around over the keyboard, trying to decide what she wants to say. Did she want to keep messing with him, keep teasing? Or did she want to give in and say something about _Monday _night, about the same handsome man who snuggled on the couch with her. She finally decides after a minute or so and types out, "You know him quite well."

She goes back to grading, only getting through about half of the paper before he replies again. She finally decides to just lean back in her chair and focus only on Robin's text that read _does he know you well?_ which made her smile big. "Oh, he's seen parts of me that no one else has..."

"Ahh, well that sounds an awful lot like me. But change of plans, can we go a little earlier? I'm terribly bored and sitting all by myself; a lonely man with nothing to do." He replies.

"Drinking before nine?"

He replies, "No, I was just hoping for dinner at 6:30..." and before she could reply again, "I'll pick you up at 6:15?"

She smiles and bites her lip while typing, "Okay, that'll work. Emma's coming at six, she had planned on me making dinner but I'll just make it earlier." then sends it.

"I'll see you later, then." He says with a smiley face. "And bring your ID, otherwise they may not even let you drink." He adds a winky-face onto that one.

She huffs a little and rolls her eyes, "Mhmm...kiss-up."

"Ooh, kissing."

She rolls her eyes again and laughs. "Men..."

"Kissing men? I'm more into kissing you."

"You know what I meant."

…

…**...**

By 6:00, Regina has fixed dinner (today's entree is baked chicken with gooey Swiss cheese melted over it, green beans on the side – though Henry protested that one), finished grading all of the quizzes, taken a shower, and now she was now getting dressed after she had already done her hair and her makeup.

She rummages through her drawer to find a black push-up bra with lace trimming the top. She remembers why she has this – because of Graham. He had gotten it for her for her birthday one year, but was so drunk that she didn't even wear it for him. She grabs it and smirks a little, knowing she doesn't exactly have intentions of letting Robin see the scandalous article, but at least it wasn't the plain old, old, white bra she was wearing the last time. She puts it on with matching black underwear, if you could call them such a thing. (The thin material had Regina wondering if it could even be considered underwear, but the piece going up places that she wasn't used to told her otherwise). She heads to her bed and takes the little black dress that she had laid out earlier there. She slips it on and zips the back up. It's sleeveless, coming up to her collarbone, but has a little horizontal, oval shaped hole just above her cleavage.

She steps to the mirror and smiles, feeling beautiful and...quite sexy, instead of having to wear her comfortable and sensible teaching outfits. She slips into her accent red shoes, high-heels that were about three inches tall, showing off her perfectly sculpted muscles in her calves.

Going into the living room, Emma whistles, "Ow ow!" She teases. Henry looks at Emma with a wrinkled up face, his nose scrunched up and his brows furrowed.

"Mom...why are you dressed up?"

"I- am...meeting with a friend tonight. A school teacher friend." She replies, picking up her purse and putting it over her shoulder.

He stands up and crosses his arms, "Who is it?"

"His name is Robin."

His brows fly back practically into his hairline as he yells, "A _**boy**_?!" in the most disgusted way. "Mom!"

"Henry..." She scolds with a chuckle, putting her wallet in her purse and making sure she really did have her ID, "I'm allowed to have dinner with friends, just like I am allowed to have dinner with Emma. Am I not?"

He scoffs through his nose and furrows his brows again, "But she isn't a _boy._" He says, still completely revolted.

She laughs and shakes her head as she hears Robin's knocking on the door. "Then why don't you meet him? He's a friend to me, so he can be a friend to you, too."

He thinks about it for a moment, then finally nods after what looked like much hard thinking and long consideration. Regina smiles, glad he approves – in a sarcastic manner. She opens the door for Robin and steps up against him, immediately whispering, "Henry thinks you're my _good _teacher friend. Not a..." She pauses when she realizes she doesn't really know _what _they are. He steps in and kisses her on her lips after whisper _okay, _saving her from further embarrassment of almost calling him her boyfriend_. _They step out from behind the wall and at a distance from each other.

"You must be Henry?" He asks, seeing the boy standing there and trying to look intimidating. When Henry nods, Robin smiles. "Ah, I've heard much about you. You see, your mother and I have lunch together at school like you do with your friends. She talks about you a lot."

"She does?" He asks challengingly, keeping his arms crossed.

Regina nods and smirks, then so does Robin, "She does. She also says that you're superb at math, and could teach me a thing or two in it."

He raises his brow and plops down on the couch, lightening up a little. "I mean...I _guess _I can teach you math. But there's gonna be a fee."

That makes all of them laugh, including the blonde sitting next to Henry who ruffles her hand in his hair. "Alright, you little rascal. Ready for dinner?"

He replies with a nod, then they say their goodbyes and head into the kitchen. Regina takes Robin's hand and chuckles, "Yeah...good choice about the math. He likes it when he thinks he's smarter than adults." She teases, taking her coat and phone, adjusting her purse on her shoulder as they walked out of the door.

She bites her lip as she sees his black sporty car, still not knowing what kind it was. She thinks she should ask him, but then decides no to. He walks her to the door and opens it for her, "M'lady." He says charmingly.

She sits down in there and gives him a look, one that was very playful. As he walks around to the other side of the car, she looks around his car. She hadn't ever paid any attention to the insides of it the other times she was in it. It was leather – bright _red_ leather. She runs her fingers over the middle seat, amazed by the beautiful interior.

She startles when he plops in beside her, "Do you like it?" He asks with a chuckle.

She nods, "It's very fitting for your bright personality." She shoots off, teasing him and being flirty.

Something Regina _never _was: a flirt.

…

…**...**

Dinner was magical, they ate at their new favorite place to go together: Sonic. Yes, Sonic. Once Regina made him try it, he couldn't stop eating it, accusing her that she's going to make him fat.

"Where is this...Rabbit...Hole...place?" He asks, looking around from plaza to plaza, making sure he didn't miss it.

She points up ahead and to the right, "Right there. It's the neon sign."

He finds it and they pull in, finding a parking spot and getting out. He takes her arm and she felt herself blush a little, so she quickly looks away before he sees her cheeks redden. They go into the bustling place, the lights in the room were dim and it smelled of alcohol – obviously. They walk in further and Regina is immediately turning necks. She doesn't realize it until Robin nudges her side, showing the full table of men who were watching her like a piece of meat. "Revolting..." She mumbles under her breath.

"You're beautiful."

"But I'm not a steak, Robin..." She snaps slightly, making him back off the subject.

They head straight for the bar and take seats beside each other. He looks at her, waiting for her to order. She bites at her lips a little and takes a deep, nervous breath. She didn't want to admit to him that she's never had to order her own drink. Emma or Graham always would, and those are the only two people she's drank with. "I..." She stifles out.

"What? Have you never drank?"

"I've drank..." She corrects him, looking down at her fingers twiddling with each other, "I've never had to _order _a drink." She states, clearly a little embarrassed about it.

He nods slowly, keeping his chin in the air, "Oh, I see the problem. Well then, let's order a Jack and coke double-tall for the both of us, please." He tells the bartender, who turns and starts working on the drinks.

She looks over at him, "Jack and coke?"

He nods, "Whiskey...haven't you ever had it?"

"Yeah..." She replies unsure, still twiddling her thumbs. "Okay no."

He chuckles and replies, "Well I'll teach you how to drink the non-fruity stuff, then." and says it with a smirk; a grin that only he gave her.

She hands them their drinks, a tall glass of Jack Daniels whiskey and coca-cola. The smell is actually better than Regina thought it would be. She takes it in her fingers and is about to tip it back when he stops her. He lifts his glass up to her and tilts his head forward a bit, wearing that same grin. "A toast?" She asks. He nods and she asks again, "To what?"

"To...a long lasting, great friendship. To teachers." He says the last part with a bit of sarcasm in his voice but it makes her laugh anyway.

She nods and tilts her head forward too, mimicking his position, "To teachers." She teases as they both tip the glasses back.

…

…...

Half a glass in, she notices a brunette who sits down next to Robin. She sets her glass down and leans into him a little, Regina could smell the alcohol on her breath already from all the way over here. Robin has already downed his glass and a quarter of another by this time, and he was getting buzzed.

"Hey." The brunette says, which Regina quickly recognizes the voice to be Ruby, the young lady who works at Hooters.

Robin looks over her way and nods, "Hello."

Regina's bubbling. Not with happiness. Not with alcohol. With jealousy. But she takes a deep breath instead of pulling Robin to her like she wants. She exhales and remembers that Robin is just friendly, very friendly to anyone and everyone he meets.

"Haven't seen you in a long time, Robin. How have you been doing? Or should I ask..._who _have you been doing?" She asks in a flirty tone of voice, chuckling a little.

Regina's heart is pounding at those words. _This slu- woman...knows him? How?! _

"No one, lately, thank you." He replies defensively. He tips his glass back and takes a sip, "I've got a teaching job, it consumes too much of my time."

"Even your _night_ times?" Ruby asks, getting dangerously too close to him.

Regina should've expected this. She didn't even know the man. She knew he had a son, and that's about it, so she knew he must've had a wife or girlfriend or something. But for some reason, he was just too appealing to her. She didn't even stop to think about the chances of him being like this. Like...like a hustler of some sorts. She takes her drink and sips at it angrily, trying to make herself stay.

"No, night times aren't as busy anymore."

_Anymore?! __**Anymore?! **_That was it. There was the line. Regina sets her drink down and puts a tip on her spot at the counter, telling the bartender she didn't want anymore.

Robin sees her get up and stumbles quickly to his feet, "Regina?! Regina, wait!" He yells, running after her. She was already at the door, pushing it open.

"Anymore, Robin? Your nights aren't busy _anymore?_" She asks, the hurt apparent in her voice. "Don't you think I deserved to at least know you were a hustler? Or are, really, since you were just _letting _Ruby flirt with you?"

"She wasn't flirti-"

"Don't say she wasn't flirting, Robin. I know what flirting is like. I've seen enough students do it, enough people do it, I've seen Emma do it, and even _I_ was stupid enough to let myself be doing it!" She states, building up until she was angry again.

He shrugs and mutters out, "I'm not a hustl-"

"Oh you're not? Then why were your nights always so busy?"

"Would you let me finish, Regina?" He asks, getting a little irritated. She huffs and shifts her weight to one leg, letting him go on. "Yes, in my time I may have been what you consider a hustler. I worked at a bar, I picked up women that I happened to like a little and think they were pretty, and I spent the night with them. Is that what you wanted to know?" He asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

She huffs and shakes her head, looking away from him. She presses her lips together and starts walking off, only to stop about five steps later. "You know, I should've known, Robin. I should've known the second that you flirted with me at that school that you were like this. Because it was way too easy for you. You knew exactly what to say to me."

"But Regina-"

"No, don't talk to me. All you wanted from me was to get into my pants, right? And I was stubborn, I was not giving you what you wanted. So you can go into the bar and pick up Ruby. Hell, take her home for all I care." She hisses, turning again to walk away.

"Regina! I've changed! I am _nothing_ like that anymore." He says, running after her.

She stops and scoffs, "Right, so tell me again why you were letting that slutty woman flirt with you in there?" She demands, her breaths getting heavier as she stood there and boiled with anger.

"I didn't even know she was flirting, Regina, honest. I swear to you I didn't know."

She huffs and shakes her head again, "I thought we had something." She whispers, still appalled. "I let you...I let you do things to me that I don't let people do so easily. I _trusted _you."

"It's not like I went out and cheated on you the next day, is it? Regina, this was harmless. All I want to do is be with you. I'm different, I don't do that stuff anymore. Why do you think I got the teaching job instead of being a bartender?" He asks, pleadingly looking into her eyes.

She shrugs, "I figured you got fired for having sex in the back room or something." She says bitterly.

He huffs and wipes his mouth down to his chin, "No. I didn't." He replies, clearly a little hurt in his tone. "I quit because teaching was a better job for me. It also keeps my evenings busy with the football. So I'm sorry, but your argument is invalid." He states, still a little irritated and disgruntled.

She sighs and shakes her head, "What are we even, Robin? I mean, are we even anything that I should be worried about you picking up a girl? Because...I don't want to be on a string. We've gone on a few dates and we're always together so _what _the hell are we?"

He rubs the back of his neck, looking down at the cracking sidewalk beneath them. "We're..." He pauses and sighs, "What do you want to be?"

She just looks at him, silently telling him what she's wanting to be but never saying it. He watches her body language and she does the same for him, "What do you think, Robin? I mean, I've gone on dates with you, I went out drinking with you, I let you..." Her voice trails off after the words get caught in her throat a little.

He sighs and nods, knowing what she was saying. "I want you to know, first of all, before anything else, that I didn't just ask you out to...to have sex with you." He says, and she could sense the genuine tone in his voice so her face lightens up a little bit. "If that were the case, we wouldn't still be able to say we haven't done it yet." He adds on, making her scowl lighten again.

"Then why did you ask me out, Robin? You saw all those guys in there, they were sizing me up like...like they were going to bet on how I looked naked or something. That hurts."

"I know it does." He says softly. He steps toward her, now in her personal space. "I asked you out because I wanted to get to know you. And here you are, knowing more about me than I really wanted to tell. And I'm ashamed of my past, I was stupid and young."

She bites at the inside of her mouth as she tries to gather her next thought, "Roland's mother..."

"She was...yes. A one night thing." He admits, looking down as he says it. She could tell, then, that he really is guilty of his past. "It's not the life I ever wanted for a child of mine. I-I never planned on having children until I was married." He admits, drunk enough that he was feeling the fullness of his emotions, starting to tear up barely.

She cups his cheek and presses her lips together, "Robin..." She whispers, seeing the sadness in his eyes. "You're a good father to him, okay? He enjoys his playground trips, his McDonalds, his games with his dad...doesn't he?"

He nods after a few moments, "Yes...he seems to."

"Then forget this conversation ever happened. Okay? I believe you. I believe you're guilty about what you've been. I haven't exactly been the best all of my life, either. So let's just forget about it and go home, I'm tired of drinking." She states, wiping the wetness under his eye.

He nods and kisses her forehead, "And by the way..." He whispers after a few moments of silence, "I want to be more than just teacher friends." He finally admits, mocking Henry's earlier statement a little as he slides his hands and arms down to around her waist, hugging her.

She smiles against his shoulder and whispers, "Good," with a smile still, "And I'm sorry...for accusing you of every-"

"Shh." He hisses softly, "We said we'd forget about that."

She nods against his shoulder, "Okay..." Regina says in a whispering tone. She swallows thickly and pulls away from him, "I should drive you home, you're a little too buzzed to be driving."

"But my baby..." He says with a frown.

"Your car?"

"Yeah...my baby."

She rolls her eyes and huffs, "I'm a careful driver. Besides, I'm not letting you drive." She says defiantly, taking the keys from his pocket and heading off to the car before he could really stop her. She laughs as she gets to the driver's side door and unlocks it, "C'mon, pokey."

He sighs and walks to the passenger side, opening it up and getting in. "How are you going to get home?" He asks, looking over at her with his head leaned against the headrest.

She shrugs, "I...didn't think about that." She says, picking her phone up out of the console area and dialing Emma's number. It was already 8:30, which was past Henry's bed time.

She asks if he's in bed, and Emma tells her that he's been zonked out since quarter 'til eight. He fell asleep on the couch, and she took him up to the loft. Regina thanks her and tells her that she's staying the night out, asking if she could maybe stay there for the night.

"Ooh, really? You're actually getting to second base? Or should I say...sexond base?" She asks, teasing Regina because she hadn't had a boyfriend since Graham who was too long ago.

She sighs and looks over at Robin, almost as if she was telling him to cover his ears. "We aren't having sex. He's too buzzed to drive me home and I'll just sleep there tonight. It's no big deal, really."

"Mhmm..." Emma says sarcastically.

Regina debates on arguing again, but decides it'll do no good with the blonde. Instead, she just says her goodbye and thanks her again for staying there, then hangs up. "Where do you live?" She asks, putting the phone down again.

"In the Sherwood Apartments." He says, smirking at her.

She ignores it for a few moments, going the route they needed. "Okay, why are you smirking at me?"

"Emma asked if we were having sex, didn't she?"

"Of course she did. She's an idiot." Regina growls, her knuckles turning white from holding on to the steering wheel so tight.

He lets out a chuckle, turning to face out the windshield with his head still against the headrest. "I just find it kind of funny."

She rolls her eyes and just thinks _men..._

…

…**...**

She walks into his apartment behind him, her eyes immediately drifting to all of the trophies he had on the walls, some even just in boxes. She guessed from that, that he must've just moved. Which she already knew...duh.

The apartment wasn't very peppy or cheery, instead, it was partially-decorated – only with two pictures of Roland and Robin up on the wall, the rest of the wall was just plain white. He had a couch, a chair, and two bean bag chairs sitting around the living room, and she decided that must be what they sit in when they watch television or something. She smiled when she saw the picture that had Roland's handprints painted on it. She got closer to the paper on the wall and it says (in what must be Roland's handwriting) _I love you Daddy. _It made her heart immediately warm up.

She was taken from her thoughts by Robin's gravelly voice, "You can have my bed tonight, I'll just take the couch."

"Oh, Robin..." She says, turning around. "I can't kick you out of your bed. Really, I'll just sleep on the couch." She argues, clasping her hands together as if she were nervous. And she was – is. She wasn't sure why, but she is.

"Nah, I sleep on the couch sometimes anyway. It's okay." He answers, taking the blankets that he stored out from under the couch.

She sighs and tilts her head over. She looks down at her outfit, not thinking about this part of it. The skin tight dress was already bothering her, how would she sleep in it? Maybe she should've told Emma to just pick her up.

"And I have some big t-shirts you can sleep in, if you want. I'm sure you don't want to wear that to bed, right?" He says, making her smile and wonder if he read her mind.

"Yes, please. I would definitely rather get out of this dress." She agrees, looking down at it again and picking at it a little.

He spreads the blanket out for himself and then starts heading elsewhere, "Follow me, I'll give you a shirt." He says sweetly, holding his bedroom door open for her. She smiles and rushes to the door, thanking him as she walked by. She goes inside his room, which isn't any tidier than his living room, unfortunately. She decides that she may not get sleep, she may just have to clean his room up before morning.

He goes to the closet and picks out a large tee for her, "There you go, I don't have any pants or anything that would fit you...sorry."

"It's okay, I don't sleep with pants on anyway." She says with a slight click of her tongue, letting herself flirt again and chuckle.

He smirks, "Why do you tease me like that?" He asks sarcastically.

He goes back to the closet and changes with his back to Regina as she slips from the dress and into the tee. She can't help but look back to see if he was undressed yet, and much to her luck, he is. He only has boxers and socks on, but something catches her eye and makes a smile curve up on her lips. She bit her lower lip as she watched him move, seeing the excitement he apparently had.

He turns to her, full-fledged and ashamed of nothing. Which in Regina's mind, he certainly has nothing to be ashamed _of. _He has perfect ab muscles, his pecks just as perfect, and that arousal that she just can't seem to take her eyes away from. She bites her lip and chuckles in her throat. He looks down, "Oh my gosh." He says, quickly grabbing for pants in his closet.

Regina clears her throat, "I was admiring, dear..." She coos playfully.

He raises a brow as he holds his sweats in front of him. "Oh, were you?"

She nods and raises both brows, "Mhmm." She says, taking a deep breath.

He steps a little closer to her, mostly to straighten and look at her. "And what were you admiring?" He asks.

_Damn. _She wasn't expecting him to ask that. She plays it cool, though, and calmly walks to him. She gets close to him, holding her body against his. Her fingertips trail like a feather up his naked, muscular thigh and to the edge of his boxers. She breathes out and smiles, then moves closer. "This..." She whispers as her fingers slowly make their way to touch him, making him jolt.

She sees him bites at his lips, and it made her smile a little more. "I...was under the impression...that you didn't want to have..."

"I don't." She quickly interrupts. "But...you pleased me...and it isn't very fair for you to get nothing out of it. Now is it?" She whispers, now rubbing him with her fingers completely.

He tilts his head to the side, trying to hold a moan in. "Okay..." He whispers, "That...is something I can do."

She smirks a slightly and then gently pushes him to his bed, he falls down backwards on it and lays on his back, looking up at her like a deer in headlights. She smiles and runs her fingertips softly down his toned stomach, down to his underwear hem. She tugs at it a little, teasing and playing with him a little before slowly taking them down. She bites her lip and so does he when his erection springs free from the confined space. She takes a deep breath, taking in how large he is.

She looks in his eyes and grins, somewhere between deviously and innocently. She licks her lips and stops before she ever touches him, resulting in a dirty look from Robin. She reaches for the bottom of her shirt – his shirt – and pulls it over her head. It turns out she is letting him see the naughty lingerie after all. She bites her lower lip, seeing he's doing so too. "You- you're...stunning." He whispers, not able to take his eyes off of her beautiful body.

She blushes again and steps close once more, staying silent but thanking him by wrapping her fingers one-by-one around his member. He groans and she smiles, realizing she's bringing him all that pleasure. She takes it back and spits in her other hand, rubbing it into the one she was using. "No dry handjobs..." She says with a smirk, rubbing again.

His eyes closes again, and she knows he's pleased with what she is doing now. He opens his eyes just barely, enough to see her almost naked body in front of him, seeing her hand move a little more vigorously now. She knows it won't last long, he's already sound wound up just from the sight of her (which made her stomach and chest absolutely, undeniably bubble because of it).

He moves his hands to her thighs and halfway to her ass, rubbing them slowly as her hand works it's magic. She's sitting between his thighs on her knees, rubbing his stomach with her fingertips again on her free hand. She looks down between them, rubbing her thumb over his tip gently and his thighs squeeze against her. She takes that as a _I like that, _and does it again.

He breathes out, almost like a stifled moan. She looks up at his face, it was contorted all in pleasure and lust. She couldn't help but think for the umpteenth time that he was so good looking. He had everything, the muscles, the stubble, the dimples...all of it. A low moan emits from his lips and she watches him as his brows furrow and his teeth clench. She watches him and watches, loving every move she made has an affect on him.

She works him until his fists clench at the sheets underneath him. "Mmmm...Regina..." He moans. Just that made her feel her wetness between her thighs, feeling how hot she was. "Regina..." He moans again, pointedly this time. Only then, she realizes, he has nothing to let go on. She sighs quietly and reaches down for what looked to be a random washrag (which isn't surprising in his messy room), wadded up on the floor beneath them. She holds it over his tip carefully, letting him come with her names on his lips, "Regina!" He cries out, taking a harsh breath in and screwing his eyes shut.

She smirks and feels his warm juice drip down her fingers, still holding his cock in her hand. She slowly and carefully wipes the tip, then wipes her fingers with a clean part of the rag. She takes a heavy breath and looks up at him, laying the rag on his lower belly next to his softening member. "How was it?" She asks, hoping she did it right in his eyes.

"Beautiful." He mutters out, making her smile.

"_Now_ if you go with some other woman, I'm making a promise here and now to cut that off. _Personally_." She threatens playfully, now climbing up beside him and lying in his arms.

He smiles and shakes his head, "I told you, Regina..._you're_ the one I want." He rasps, still on his back.

She cuddles next to his warm body, enjoying the comfortable silence for a few moments. Did he mean it? She was scared, now (and rightfully so), that he was just telling her these things. That he was just doing this to her for nights like this, and nights more passionate eventually. She was scared that he would tear her heart in two, but she liked him enough that she _had_ to take that chance. She sniffled a little to break the silence, "So...is this...is this what we are?" She asks, unsure of herself which she absolutely hates. She likes to be authoritative and know what she's talking about.

She feels his chest expand beneath her head, taking a deep breath in before answering, "No...I want more than this."

Her heart fell to her spine, she was sure. She closes her eyes to keep the tears at bay, "You want more? I told you, Robin...I'm not giving myself away to-"

"No...I want more. I want..._us_ to be more." He interrupts her in a whispering tone, still slightly rasping. He turns to look at her on his arm. "I want...a relationship. A real one."

She looks up at him, the tears still shimmering in her brown eyes, "You do?" She gasps quietly.

He nods and turns more toward her, "Yeah. I want to try, and to succeed. Can we...can we do that?"

She nods desperately, a little too desperate than she meant for it to look. "Yes...yes." She says, calming herself down.

He smiles and kisses her forehead, "Then...I guess that's that. Right? Girlfriend?" He asks in a whispering tone, a grin gracing his lips and making him look even sexier with those dimples.

She smiles back at him, kissing him passionately as a yes.

…

…**...**

The next day, she woke up with the sheet tucked up over her shoulders, in his tee again. She looked at it, confused as to what had happened, _knowing _that she fell asleep in his arms with only the lingerie and blankets. She sits up in bed and realizes it's only laying over her, not on her. She smirks a little, knowing he did this for her. She lies back down and takes a deep breath in, smelling the scent his pillows have. They smelled like him, like a masculine..._woodsy_ smell. Like forest.

She sits up after a while and reads the note on the headboard that she'd just noticed was taped there:

"_I had to get Roland this morning. Sorry, I didn't wake you up because you just looked so peaceful. I'll be back around ten, but until then, you can help yourself to anything that's in the kitchen."_

She smiled to herself and stretches out with a loud yawn. She pulls the t-shirt over her body, then realizes Roland is coming and she has no clothes. Surely she can find something to wear, right?

She gets up and rummages through his closet, feeling like she was violating his personals but she needed _something_. She finally finds a pair of sweatpants. They were a little big, but so was the t-shirt. She goes into the living room and sees the blankets all mangled up from where he had slept there. She smirks a bit, realizing he was a true gentleman last night.

She goes to his kitchen and just grabs an almost rotten banana. She just "grins and bears it", so to speak, and eats it on his couch.

At precisely 10:00, she finally hears his car in the parking lot. She never realized how loud it was until just now, but she loves the way it sounds – the echo, the loud hum...beautiful. She had finished her banana earlier, and now was just sitting and playing on her phone, checking her Facebook, her Instagram...all of those things.

"Where is she?!" Roland shouts as he goes into the door. Regina looks around and smiles, seeing the most beautiful, curly haired boy bopping in. "Are you Regina?" He asks as if he's been a thousand miles just to find her.

"Roland...manners." Robin warns, coming in behind him with a Thomas the Train suitcase – clearly for Roland.

The young boy nods at his father, "Sorry daddy..." He says, but then turns back to her and awaits her answer.

She smiles and gets up, "I am...you must be Roland?" She asks.

He nods, "I'm this many!" He states, holding four fingers up, hiding his thumb in his palm.

She laughs and so does Robin, "Well, that's awesome. My little boy is this many." She says excitedly, over-dramtically holding ten fingers up.

His eyes widen, "Whoa! I want to be that old. What's _his_ name?"

Regina carries on the conversation with the babbling boy, sitting down, and eventually him joining her on her lap with Robin beside them. She cackles and laughs through the whole conversation as he babbles away about his cars, one that was just like his daddy's – a Ford Mustang. It made her happy that she finally learned what car he drove. Not only about his cars, but about his trains, his books, his coloring books...

By the end of the conversation, she had decided that Roland's parental life may not be perfect, but he certainly was one blessed and loved little boy.

…

…**...**

Monday's good morning text consisted of _good morning, girlfriend_ with a kissy face emoji, Tuesday's was the same thing, but with a heart face. Wednesday's was a mixture of the two, and Thursday morning, she was up earlier than usual – 6:00. She takes her phone out and decides to text him first, typing out to Robin: _Good morning, boyfriend _complete with a kissy face _and _a heart eye emoji.

She gets ready for the day, getting dressed and then puts her phone in her pocket. At 6:45, she feels it vibrate in her pocket. She takes it out and sees, "Ugh...good morning, girlfriend. Boyfriend is sick, really, REALLY sick."

She sighs as she sees what he replied. Instead of texting back, she calls, "Hey babe...what's wrong?"

"Other than the horrible fact that I've been sick literally all night, I have a fever of 101.3." He says groggily.

"Oh...Oh no. I'm sorry. You aren't going to school today, right?"

"No, the sub will be there and the assistant coach is doing practice tonight." He says, ending in a cough.

She sighs again, not liking that he was sick at all. "After lunch I'll swing by and bring you something to eat, okay? Make sure you keep a cool rag on your forehead, it'll help a little." She says, becoming all motherly.

"Okay..." He says.

They say their goodbyes and hang up, but Regina has that gloomy feeling over her all day until her lunch break. She gathers her things and decides to not prepare her work for another day, deciding that Robin needed her more.

She stops by Sonic and gets his favorite meal – six piece chicken tender (with honey mustard), a side of mozzarella sticks, and a root beer float. He always got that ever since they first had it together, and she thinks that maybe will cheer him up a little bit.

She drives to his apartment and knocks on the door. She doesn't hear an answer, but instead receives a text: _My voice is pretty shot. I said come in, but you can't hear me. I'm in the bedroom._

She sighs and lets herself in, clutching the bag tightly when she sees how messy his whole apartment is. She has to take a heavy breath to keep herself calm and not scream, so she goes into his room and tries to ignore it all. "Sweetie?" She says, rustling the bag, "I brought you some lunch and a root beer float. It may help your sore throat a little..."

He groans from the bed and sits up, "Thank you." He says, sounding like a growl but it was just that his throat was so scratchy. "I...I appreciate it so much."

She nods and hands the food to him one-by-one, talking to him and trying to make it to where he doesn't have to talk, "I got your usual, and I got my usual. Can I join you for lunch?" She asks, holding her burger out in her hand with a hopeful little grin.

He nods and cracks a small smile, letting her know it was a yes. She crawls up on the bed beside him and snuggles into him, not caring that he was sick. He needs her, and she'll be here. At least she likes to think he needs her, though he hasn't really said it. Why else would he tell her he's sick, though?

…

…**...**

"You're pregnant?!"

Emma shakes her head, "No! Not that kind of news!" She snaps to Regina, who is still cackling away.

She tries to get serious and crosses her legs, leaning back on the couch and crossing her legs, "Oh, oh. I see." She says, taking a sip of her lemonade and watching Emma playfully over her glass. "Then what kind of news is it?"

"Definitely not that I'm having a baby. What kind of girl do you think I am?" The blonde asks, narrowing her eyes. Regina huffs and takes another sip, raising her brows and letting Emma know she wasn't going to say anything. "Well, anyway. No...it's...I got a job!"

"You what?!" Regina exclaims, spitting out some of her lemonade in a shocked manner. She grabs at her chin, trying to absorb the drip with her fingers. "You..."

"But don't worry!" Emma interrupts before Regina could say anything else, "I can still pick Henry up after school Fridays, and I can still babysit whenever you need me to just about, since you don't need me in the day. I got a job at the sheriff's station, I finally got it. So he can come with me, even, in the summers if-"

"No." Regina states, standing up and setting her glass down. "No, no, no. He is _not _going and spending his summers with convicts."

"Well anyway..."

"Congratulations." Regina says, calming down only a little.

Now she didn't know what to do for summers when she still had to be at the school, she did summer school jobs and she tutored, too, to bring students' grades up. She would have to find someone else, now.

She takes her phone out as Emma goes off to play with Henry, and she texts Robin who was feeling much better after he took some allergy medicine, determining that his fever wasn't anything dramatic. "Emma just got the job with the sheriff. Now Henry won't have a sitter during the summer." and then adds a sad face.

After a few minutes, he texts back, "I'm sorry, love. But if it's during the summer, I can help out with the little scamp. He's taken to me quite well, I think..."

She chuckles and bites her lip as she texts back. "Are you busy today? We're all just hanging out at the apartment, you could come over if you want."

"Nope, I have Roland. Is it okay if he comes too?"

She shifts in her place for a moment, a little nervous to _really _meet and be around the infamous Roland that he's talked about, now, for about a month. For her family to meet him, for Emma to meet him. It was all like it was building up for something really...really great. Her fingers dance over the screen a lot, "Yeah, that's good. Henry would have a good time with him, I think."

"Alright, when shall we be over?"

They make their lunch plans, Regina says that she'll make some cheeseburgers and broccoli, even though Robin sends back a "sick face" which makes her laugh.

Afterward, once everyone ate, Regina and Robin were outside on her staircase.

"Your son is such a sweetie, Robin. He's nothing like you." She teases, making it known with a wink.

He gives her a look that he only gives _her_; the one which he squints his eyes, purses his lips, and tilts his head forward to _almost _give him a double-chin. "Ha-ha...very funny. I hope you know he is a _lot _like me. Manners and all."

"No, he_ has _manners, you..."

"I have manners!"

She give him the look, the one that only _he _gives _her, _"Robin, when I went in your apartment Thursday I saw the deli wrappers from the day we went to the park." She says, still keeping her head tilted over a little.

"Okay...well...I never said I wasn't sentimental."

"Sentimental?" She asks, raising her brows, "About...deli meat?"

He chuckles and rubs her cheek after bopping her nose playfully, "No, silly, about you and me. Our first kiss, our first actual date..." He says, which makes her smile and blush. He chuckles, "I love it when you blush."

"I am _not _blushing." She replies defensively, looking away from him and fixing her hair.

He laughs a bit and pushes her hair out of her face, cupping her cheek in his rough palm. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, it's quite cute."

"Cute?" She asks challengingly.

He smirks and kisses her lips, "Cute."

**...**

**...**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Two words: Angst. Smut.**_

_**Enjoy,**_

_**G.**_

**..**

**...**

September 1st, Labor Day. Henry has had plans since school started to go on vacation with his little friend that he's known forever, Emma's away on vacation for the three-day weekend, and Regina is sitting at her empty, bare desk all alone – currently rolling a pencil around on the surface by pushing it with a pen. Exciting – it was a word she most definitely would _not_ use to describe her life when she had no job, so to speak. She is ahead on her planning, all the way to next semester, and she forgot her book at the school.

She picks her phone up and looks at the screen, desperately waiting for a reply from Robin. _This is pathetic, _she thinks, realizing it's already 11:00 and she's done nothing but take her morning shower, get dressed, and wait for Robin's reply all morning. Pathetic, pointless, and stupid. Just _stupid._

She pushes herself up from her desk and puts her phone face down on the surface, wincing when she realizes how hard she just slammed it down. She grabs it in her hand and picks it up quickly to make sure there are no cracks now residing there, and thankfully, there aren't. She sets it down again (safely, this time) and walks into the kitchen, completely oblivious to her phone ringing while on silent behind the now closed door.

She grabs a small bite to eat – some crackers with peanut butter slapped on them – and heads back to the living room to sit on the couch. She turns the television on and scans through her wide variety of DVR recordings, deciding that today is a good day to try and catch up on her shows since she has no annoying sitter, no cartoon-watching son, and no Robin texting her. She taps over to her favorite series (at the moment) being _Castle, _and presses play. She snuggles up under a blanket, the September air was starting to cool off but it still had enough heat. She crunches on her crackers, unknowingly getting crumbs caught in the fuzz on the blanket.

After that episode was finished, she moves on to the next one. Halfway through the _third _episode, she has five missed calls and doesn't even know it. She's finished her crackers and has gotten up once to get some lemonade (making a sour face once the tart of the drink mixes with the sweetness of the peanut butter), and she's back to sitting on the couch like a lazy log.

About halfway through this episode, she hears a knock on the door. She furrows her brows and takes the blanket off of her, fixing her hair a little before looking through the peephole. She opens the door with furrowed brows and asks, "Robin? What are you doing here?"

She sees he's been crying, or distressed or...both. She's not sure, but he's definitely been upset about something. He seems jittery and nervous. "You weren't answering your phone." He says with a sniffle, standing at the door and waiting anxiously to be let in.

She steps back, his cue to walk in, and follows him to the couch after shutting her door and locking it again. "That's because you weren't answering yours. I was about to go to your apartment and make you pay for a new phone for me, seeing as how you almost made me crack mine."

He lets her snarky comment pass and just buries his face in his hands, brushing his palms up and through his hair. "Okay, what's going on?" She finally asks, breaking the short silence that was lingering in the small room. It made her nervous to see him so...nervous.

He sighs. Regina can't tell if it's a "_shut up I don't want to talk to you" _sigh or an "_it hurts to say this" _sigh. "Today." He answers. Nothing more, nothing less. A simple _today. _What the hell was today, and why is it so important that he has to ignore her, come in her apartment and ruin her _Castle _marathon, and ultimately her somewhat good mood?

"Go on." She urges, sitting closer to him now.

He sighs and looks at her with a grim expression, "Today's Roland's birthday."

"And? Isn't that a good thing?"

He shakes his head, but catches himself and nods. "It is. The aspect of his birth is, but he's not here. And he's not with his family and he should be-"

She stops him by putting a hand on his arm, wrapping her fingers around his bicep and leaning forward to look in his face. "What do you mean that he should be with family?" She asks, "Isn't he with his mother?"

"His mother is dead, Regina." He says, whispering it like it still hurt him.

She stands up immediately, running her fingers through her short, ebony hair and placing her other hand on her hip while beginning to pace. "What do you mean? Where the hell is he, then?"

"He lives with her parents." He mutters out, burying his face back in his hands again.

This infuriates her. He couldn't have told her that his mother was dead? That the poor little kid lives with his dead mother's parents?! And to realize, too, that he was still really _hurting _over her, over this...over _something,_ to the point where he's been crying. It was like a kick to the stomach, straight to her spinal cord and bending her over. All in her imagination, of course, but still. She paces in front of the coffee table, between it and the television. "Why couldn't you have told me, Robin? All this time I thought he was with his mother, not some distant relatives. Why does he even live there anyway, without you? You're still his father!"

He stands up defensively, clearly tired of the way she was speaking to him. "They got a court order against me, Regina! They said I was an unfit parent! Do I agree with them? Yes. Often I remember _why_ I got that court order, _why _I'm not allowed to see the one and only son I love except for on certain weekends and holidays. _Why _he called my father-in-law Daddy before he _ever _got to call me that!" He shouts, anger flickering in his eyes and startling Regina.

She feels a bit guilty for accusing him, but her anger overrides that because of him never telling her. "I thought we were closer than that, Robin. After almost a month of being together, I thought you would've told me. But apparently not. If you were really planning for this _relationship _to go further than getting each other off on our couches and in our beds, then you should've considered not withholding the truth from me." She growls, her breathing heavy. She's not sure who is more startled from the other's anger at this point.

He walks closer to her and sticks a finger to his chest, "_I _did not tell _you _because I didn't want you hating me! Do you realize what I was before I was a coach and a teacher? I was not a nice guy, Regina. I already told you he was not planned."

"Yeah, and you told me that she was a one night thing, too. But you still could've had the decency to-"

"The decency?!" He yells, now screaming at her, "Well _excuse _me for not telling you that I've screwed more women than you've probably ever shaken hands with! I'm sorry for not telling you my whole life story in a month. What about you, Regina? Huh? What have you told me? Other than you had Henry? I don't even know who's his father! I don't know anything about you other than how you like to moan whenever I please you on my couch!" He shouts.

She steps back from him out of shock of everything he just said. That was a low blow, _that _was uncalled for. She then takes a step forward, teeth gritted and fists clenched. "Get out." She growls lowly, her voice cracking from her choking voice, due to yelling all that. "Now!" She shouts at him, her arms shaking and punching down in the air.

He looks down at her, "If that's what you insist." He says, completely hurt and looking like a wounded puppy dog, almost all of the anger simmering down and letting it show how hurt he was. But at the moment, Regina is way too angry to realize those sad blue eyes.

She follows him to the door and slams it behind him once he's just _barely _out of the doorway. She locks everything again and leans her back against the door, sliding down into a mess and beginning to cry.

He'd hurt her so badly. Why didn't he just be honest with her? Why didn't he just tell her about Roland living with his grandparents, instead of making Regina think he was in his mother's care. And most of all, why did he have to be with so many women before her? It completely broke her heart. She didn't know if she could let him back into her life, just for him to potentially hurt her again like this.

She eventually walks over to the couch and cuddles up in her blanket again, cracker crumbs and all. She has her phone, now, and calls Emma to tell her the situation, and to bring home lots of comfort food.

To her luck, Emma came home before Henry ever did, but Regina soon found out by phone call that Henry wanted to spend the night at his friend's house, and that he'd be in bed early and all. It didn't take much persuasion for Regina, she quickly said yes after the horrible day she's had.

Currently she's sitting on the couch, a half-empty, family-sized bag of Cheeto's _Puffs _in her lap and a regular coca-cola on the table, next to a whole bag of Hershey's kisses that Emma had brought home after she heard about their fight.

Emma walks to the couch and sits down, seeing what a mess Regina truly is. She doesn't say anything though, rather just opens her orange soda and looks mindlessly at the television. "So...what happened today?" She asks, trying to break the awkward silence.

Regina cocks her jaw to the side and opens her fourteenth Hershey kiss in the past ten minutes, throwing the foil on her lap with the rest of them. She didn't even care. "We were both mad." She says, not giving much information purposely. She didn't _really _want the blonde prying into her life.

But Emma insists, "Why?"

She shoots her a look, "Because we were. Okay?" She counters, trying to get her off the subject and let her eat her Cheeto and Herhsey kiss, concocted together, all in peace.

Emma scoffs and looks at her, "So you suddenly go from 'can't keep your hands off each other' to 'I hate you, leave my apartment'? Something happened between there." She says, popping an M&amp;M into her mouth.

"Nothing happened!" Regina suddenly snaps, but decides to continue since she wanted so _badly _to know every detail of her life, "He wouldn't answer his phone all day. So then when I didn't answer mine, and it wasn't purposely, he got miffed and came to the apartment. He was all stressed looking so I asked him why, and he said today's Roland's birthday." Once she finished explaining all of it, the blonde's eyes were wide, lip bitten from the inside, and her expression showed nothing.

"Really? That's seriously all that happened? He told you he was with more women than you have shook hands with and you got all pissed over that?"

"I do hope you don't use that language around my son." Regina sneers.

Emma rolls her eyes and turns more toward her, "You just dropped the f-bomb like five times while explaining what happened, Regina. If anyone's slang is to worry about around your son, it's yours." She says, "I don't use it around him, but that's not my question. You're avoiding it." She pushes on, making Regina even _more _irritated (if that was even possible).

"Yes, I got pissed!" She snaps, pulling the blanket off of her shoulders and making the foils fly everywhere, one getting caught in her hair and she didn't even know it. "My boyfriend, the one who I thought was perfect for me and who I thought I could maybe have a future with, for once, tells me he's had sex with more woman than I've shaken hands with! Of course it pissed me off!"

"But was he, like, under contract with you since he grew a full size dick to never have sex with any other women other than you? I don't think that's the case, Regina. How many other men have you slept with before him? Huh? I know of at least two."

"I don't appreciate your bluntness and prying, Swan." Regina growls, her eyes narrowing and turning away.

Emma sighs, "There's really no helping you, is there? You want to feel sorry for yourself? Go ahead. Don't ask me to pity you because of something like that." She says, getting up and grabbing her bag of chocolates, making Regina furrow her brows and reach out childishly for them. "No, you don't need these. Look at yourself." Emma says, making Regina look at all the foils and swallow thickly, full of guilt. She sees the one in her hair and pulls it out slowly. "You better hope that you didn't make him go hurt himself, or crash his car or do something stupid, Regina. Because that's really harsh. If anyone was in the wrong here, it was you." She says bluntly, heading to the spare room that was set up for her when Henry wasn't here, since Regina doesn't like being alone.

Regina sinks into the couch and turns her face to the back cushions, pulling the blanket up over her head and ridding it of the rest of the foils, then starts absolutely _sobbing. _She reaches behind her for the remote and turns the TV off with a harsh press of her finger into the button, making her nail bend backward. She throws it down on the carpet and starts sobbing again.

Emma was right. She is a mess. But it's because of him. He hurt her. He did this to her. And she wasn't in the wrong.

She lies on the couch for a while, the next time she sees the clock after opening her eyes finally, it's already twelve in the morning. She looks at her phone, at the lock screen of her and Robin. She throws her phone across the room and against the chair, making the case snap off and flinging it everywhere. She turns again to the back of the couch, her breathing settling into a heavy and slow motion, her heart pounding, but the tears stopping. Now she is just mad.

**..**

…

Monday morning, seven o'clock, she's so glad she doesn't have to make sure Henry's all ready for school. She groans and rolls over, almost falling off the couch. She gets up and rushes to her room, her hair all in a tussled mess and her make-up still smeared from last night. She trips over her shoe on the floor, thinking it was Henry's at first but not getting quite as angry when she comes to the embarrassing realization that it's hers.

She throws on some clothes, black dress pants, an un-tucked, fitted, pink shirt, and quickly puts her hair up into a ponytail. She doesn't even care how she looks today – so much so, that she doesn't even look in the mirror before she leaves, even when today was one of those days that she _really_ should have.

She walks out of the door, not even remembering to pick her phone and case up from last night. Normally, she'd wake up and the first thing she'd do would be turn her phone on to a _good morning beautiful _or _good morning, girlfriend_ text. The thought did not cross her mind, not even once, the whole morning.

And of course traffic had to be horrible. What kind of bad day would it be if she wasn't stuck in traffic, late, and under dressed? Or if she had such a bad hair day that her hair has to be pulled back, her contact ripped and has to wear her ugly glasses, and feeling fat and bloated from all of the chocolate last night? Really. What else could go wrong at this point?

She honks at the car in front of her, causing traffic fights to erupt from the cars around her; people sticking their head out of their windows and yelling at each other. Good ol' Downtown Atlanta. She doesn't even care. She reaches for the knob on the radio and turns it to something she hasn't listened to in a long time, hardcore metal. She turns it all the way up and rolls her windows down, drowning out the sound of honking and people yelling. Even though, now, there's ten times more people yelling because her music is being spewed throughout all of the highway.

Thirty minutes later, she arrives to the school parking lot. Not only is her spot taken, but she realizes who it's taken by. _That little bastard._

She scoffs and hits the steering wheel with the heel of her hand, but decides to match his game and pull up parallel behind him. She smiles at her win, turns her car off, and gets her things out.

Her class didn't go much better, either.

"Alright, everyone, settle down. Sorry I'm late." She groans, setting her things down and writing the date on the board. She feels something hit the back of her head, quickly turning around to see a wadded up piece of paper laying on the floor beside her feet.

That's when it all started. All hell breaks loose in Regina Mills' eleventh-grade literature classroom.

"_**Who **__threw that?!" _She growls, looking at the classroom with the piece of paper balled into her fist.

Everyone suddenly became quiet. The room was totally and completely silent except for the nervous shuffling of feet that are now under desks. Regina could swear that she was hearing their hearts pounding, their thoughts buzz in their head of who is going to get in trouble first.

She grits her teeth and slams the ball of paper down on her desk, "I hope you know that I come here _every _morning for you little ungrateful students!" She snaps, "I put all of my time and effort into it and what effort do you put into it?!" She asks, looking each one of them in the eye with her harsh brown ones, "You throw paper at me! Why? What do I do to deserve this? Because I try to teach you something? Because I care and want you all to get good grades instead of just..._passing _you along?!" She rants, "Why?! Someone _please _tell me because I am so beyond tired of trying to come in to this insipid classroom and teach a bunch of ungrateful people who just want low grades to graduate! Sick of it!"

Randy – the boy who plays football and who Regina has noticed is incredibly shy, but sometimes stays to help Robin clean up the field after practice – slowly raises his hand while he's slouched in his seat. She nods, giving him the chance to speak, "I...I think it's because...none of us really know...what to do with a good teacher. Or how to act, really. You and Coach Locksley...you're the best teachers this school has and that I've _ever_ had, and...I for one...don't want to lose you." He says, the nerves all the way up in his throat and tongue. For such a big guy his fingers sure do move quickly when he's nervous.

She nods, "Anyone else?" She asks, trying to keep the thought of _Coach Locksley_ out of her head.

Patty – the other incredibly shy person in her class – raises her hand slowly as well. "I can't speak for the others, but I know that Randy is right. You and Coach Loc-"

"Please...I already heard that one."

Patty nods, "You're the best ones we've had, truly..."

"Thank you, though." Regina says, coming around to the front of her desk and leaning against it. She crosses her ankles and folds her arms over her stomach. Her expression was softer but still much more angry than any of them have ever seen her, "Anyone like to speak up about the paper?"

Everyone looks at each other with wide eyes, their mouths all must be sore from biting the insides of them so much. Finally, Peter raises his hand. "Miss Regina?"

"Just Regina." She replies, wishing they would learn that by now. It really isn't that hard.

He nods and stands up, "It was me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. You're a really good teacher, and you're right. You do come in here every day and teach us a lot, and we've all been getting really good grades, too."

It was then and there that Regina's day finally stopped sucking. It didn't get better, but it didn't suck.

That was, until lunch time. The time where she would normally meet Robin at her classroom door, walking with him to the teacher's lounge and having their shared lunches. She didn't even bring one today, she wasn't used to it anymore. So she leaves campus, unusual for her, and goes past Sonic where he gets his six-piece chicken tender meal with honey mustard, a side of mozzarella sticks, and a root beer float. Past Olive Garden where he gets the fettuccini alfredo every time he goes there. Instead, she heads straight for the place he doesn't like – McDonald's.

She orders the most unhealthy thing she can think of, because frankly she hasn't cared about her appearance today, so why start now? She pulls to the second window and gets her Big Mac and large fry, a large coca-cola to go with it and a McFlurry on top. She looks at it and makes a surprised face. Those seemed so much smaller when she was pregnant with Henry and made Daniel go get her some.

She puts it in the passenger seat and drives off, going home this time. She doesn't need to plan, still. She's already way ahead of schedule, and she just wants to be alone and eat her fattening meal in _peace _(like she was trying to do last night, but Emma wouldn't leave her alone).

She eats it in the parking lot, never leaving her little SUV. Somehow, she scarfed down the _whole _Big Mac, the _whole _large fry, and the_ whole _Oreo McFlurry. _Somehow._

A few hours later, once she's brought Henry home from school and fed him dinner, she's regretting her stupid mistake of eating all of that. It was just as stupid as waiting for Robin to call her or even acknowledge her existence yesterday. Just stupid._ Everything is stupid._

**..**

…

Wednesday morning went a little better, _after_ she changed her lock screen on her phone to a picture of Henry. She hadn't heard one word from Robin since Monday, and she was actually starting to get worried. She knew he was at school, because the little imp took her parking spot the past two days, but he still didn't even drop by her class or _anything. _She wasn't sure whether to feel hurt, that he just let her go like that, or to feel worried, because she may have hurt him too much.

And as mad as she is at him, she doesn't want to hurt him still.

So she decides, today, to wait around after school to pick up Henry. She takes him to the ball field at her school and waits for Robin to come and coach. Henry is off playing with a toy truck in the dirt beside the bleachers, but she's all the way at the top in a light coat, watching him with her teeth gritted. That anger is still simmering in the pit of her stomach, still bitter over the fact that he didn't tell her. But maybe...as much as she hates to admit it...Emma is right. Maybe she shouldn't be mad over it, because in reality they _have _only been dating a month.

But still, in the back of her mind, she feels slightly betrayed and thrown in the dirt over the whole situation. She feels like she at least deserved to know that Roland's mother isn't with us anymore, and that he lives with her parents. Maybe not, the part about him sleeping with other women. Emma had a point, there, unfortunately. She didn't tell him the other men she's slept with, and she hasn't even slept with him anyway. They've simply pleased each other, but nothing too serious.

She's so conflicted, she's like a statue when she sees him climbing up the bleachers. He stops about three steps down from her, looking up and taking a deep breath. She wasn't sure how to take that, whether it may be a "great, she's here" or an "I don't know what to say" breath. Then again, maybe she's over analyzing all of this. Again. "So...why are you here?" He asks.

_Great. It was a "great, she's here" kind of breath. _She sits up a little and tilts her chin closer to her shoulder, biting the inside of her mouth so hard that she'll later have sores. "I...just wanted to make sure you were-"

"Okay? Yeah, Regina. I'm fine." He snaps, clearly hurt.

She scoffs and stands up, "Look, I didn't come here to apologize so if that's what you're looking for you can just stop holding your breath. Because you hurt me a lot, Robin." She says, deciding not to add on _so much so that I ate a whole family-sized bag of cheetos in two sittings, too many hershey's kisses, and so much other junk food. Or "comfort" food._

He scoffs, "Same old, Regina. Never your fault, is it?"

"Some of it may be my fault. I'm still not apologizing for the words I said." She says matter-of-factly, not backing down at all.

He shakes his head and turns to step down, but stops and looks back up at her. "Do you realize how badly you hurt me, Regina?" He asks. She was about to say something and he throws his hand up, "Hold on, let me finish." He orders, "How badly I wanted you to just comfort me on a day that I was missing my son? How badly I just wanted you to help me stop reminiscing over the person I once was, a drunk jerk who bedded a bunch of women and accidentally slipped up one night? I just wanted comfort and instead you grilled me on my whole life, just making me go home and turn in to that same drunk again." He says, his teeth clenching together and his cheekbone prominent.

She was taken aback, not realizing that he got hurt when he was already hurt. That he _came_ her looking for help, and she threw him out of the door and slammed it harshly behind him.

"I'm not trying to pry an apology out of you, Regina, though one would be nice. But I'm really not. I just want to let you know how bad it hurt me to be thrown out of that door when I was just needing help, nothing more and nothing less." He continues, seeing her baffled expression being worn on her face.

Her mouth parts slightly and her chest finally moves with breath, "I'm...I didn't mean to."

He scoffs and shakes his head, trying to laugh and smile but it was clear it was fake. "You didn't mean to? To what? To throw me out and slam the door behind me? To make me sit in my car and ponder about just wrecking it and ending a worthless life?"

"Robin-"

"No...for once you don't get to speak, Regina. For once you need to hear what you do. Because I'm tired of being stepped on like this, and you just ignoring me for two days afterward."

"I didn't ignore you! You didn't want to talk to me!" She says, becoming emotional.

He swallows thickly, his adam's apple bobbing as his saliva runs down his throat. His eyes narrowing and his hands going into his pockets. "You're low, Regina." He says, turning and walking down the bleachers.

She picks her purse up and rushes down a few bleachers, "Wait! Okay? I'm sorry! I'm sorry I did that to you. I didn't know how badly it hurt you. I didn't know anything about you and I shouldn't have said those things." She admits, looking down and stopping. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He turns to her and clenches his teeth. "And because you apologize, now, you think it's all better? That we can just go back to being that happy couple in the pouring rain, eating deli meat and taking Sonic trips?"

"I want to." Regina says desperately. Something she hated being, desperate. She can't believe how he's just tugging at her like this, making her spew things out that she wouldn't ever say to someone. But it's happening, and somehow she's slightly okay with it. "I want to just forget about it, because it was stupid. I shouldn't have said anything, it's not my business. I was just prying and prying into you life and I didn't need to."

Robin steps up two bleachers, now only a bleacher in between them. His hands in his sweatpants' pockets, his red whistle hanging limply on his royal blue polo. His lip was bit down so hard, she could see the outer part of it turning purple. "I forgive you. Simply because I care about you, Regina, and I hope you care for me too."

"I do..." Regina admits, "I really do."

He swallows thickly, she watches as he looks distraught and turns his upper half to the football field and then watches Henry. "Tell me one thing, then, Regina. Who is Henry's father?" He asks.

"Come home with me, please..." She pleads, "I'll tell you there. I'd rather not start tearing up in public again." She states, getting some of her sass back and trying to not think _too _much about Daniel until she has to.

He studies her, his still sad blue eyes scanning her dark brown ones for any hint of fowl play. "Fine." He says, "But we better go to Sonic first. I'm starving." He says, bringing Regina's mood up a little bit.

She's hoping so badly that she hasn't blown it with him. A man who understands somewhat what it's like to be a father, who loves Henry like she does, and who can really handle her. It's tense for the time being, and she's scared that will always be there now until it finally just comes between them so much, that it pushes them apart. And she can't handle even the thought of that.

After their quick Sonic run with Henry (who has fallen asleep on the way to the apartment), Regina and Robin both sit on the couch, but the distance between them is undeniable. Physical distance and emotional.

Regina is the first to finally say something, after grabbing a picture of Daniel from the side table. "This is him – Daniel is" She stops and catches herself, "Was his name. He's Henry's father, my late fiance." She explains, watching as he takes the picture gently from her hands and looks at it. The picture showed all three of them, Daniel, Regina, and Henry. It was the day Henry was born, only a day before Daniel died. Only hours before Daniel would never get to hold Henry in his arms again, and only hours before Regina would kiss his cold lips one last time.

He nods slowly, his expression soft and sympathetic as his eyes are still studying the hospital picture. "What...what happened to him?" He asks, cautious of her feelings.

She swallows thickly, knowing she agreed to this and knowing she needs to follow through. But the pain hurt her so badly. She suddenly realized that even though Marian didn't mean much to Robin, that she was still a part of him and he had every right to cry. Guilt came over her and she dropped a tear from her eye and down onto her cheek, rolling off and on her thigh. "It was the day after Henry was born. Daniel's parents had flown in from Kentucky where they lived and where he grew up, all to see their new grandbaby. Their first one, the big special one." She takes a moment to catch her breath, trying not to cry again. She sniffles and pulls herself back together, "On the way to the airport, February 1st, he got hit head on by a drunk driver. It was 6:02 in the morning." She says, still remembering it like it was yesterday. "The driver of the other car was killed, as well as Daniel and his mother. His father was in critical condition, had to stay in ICU through Daniel's funeral and everything. He ended up not even making it." She explains. "In an instant, the closest thing I had to parents were gone, my fiance was gone, and my son's father was gone."

Robin's mouth drops open and just hangs there, squeaking in the back of his throat as he tries to think of words to say, but fails. "Oh, Regina...I'm so sorry..." Robin sympathizes genuinely, bringing a hand to her knee and trying to comfort her like he wanted her to do Monday.

She looks down at it and is so overwhelmed with guilt, she starts sobbing. Actually sobbing. She stands up and brushes her hands through her hair, "Don't...I'm the one that still needs to apologize. I hurt you when you were already hurt, I kicked you when you were already on your knees. And you're still comforting me. How can you be so selfless when I'm the exact opposite, Robin?" She hisses through her tears.

He stands up with her and takes her by the arm, "Clearly we both weren't on our best behavior that day, Regina. Let's just forget about it, move on with our relationship. Because I'm still wanting to be with you. We both have imperfections and we're going to find them along the way, just like we did on Monday." He says, looking straight into her eyes and somehow his words went straight to her heart.

She nods and sniffles, trying to pull herself together again. "Right...okay." She whispers, though she knows it sounds a lot easier than it'll truly be.

He sighs and wraps his arms around her, pulling her into his muscular chest (that has gotten even more muscular since he's started coach football, she's noticed) and rubs her back in gentle and small circles. "Your fiance would be proud of the woman you are, Regina. A single mother who has provided for your son for ten years, and not taking anything less for him than he needs. Sacrificing some of your own wants for his. That's not selfish, that's true selflessness and you have it. It shows through that boy." He says seriously, pulling her off of him for a moment to look in her eyes. He tilts her chin up and her eyes open to see his. "I'm proud of you, and so would Daniel if he were here today. He's with you, he's right here." He whispers, cupping his hand over the place where her heart is.

She nods and puckers her lips as she tries to hold her cries in again. "I hope he is..."

"I know he has to be. And if he isn't, it's because he just hasn't paid enough attention." He says. After a moment he takes her to the couch and sits down, pulling her head into his lap to where she can feel him breathe. It makes her feel so comfortable, so safe.

Regina closes her eyes, her mind flashing back to that hospital room when Daniel held Henry for the first time. He was just cooing over how perfect he is, and how he had his nose. And he still does today, even. Daniel would be so proud of Henry, but of Regina? She isn't exactly sure of how proud he would be, especially after her behavior toward Robin this week. "I'm really sorry, Robin, for hurting you like that. Truly. I didn't even think about it, and I was being selfish that day. I was lonely and mad that you didn't answer me, jealous that everyone was out doing things and I was having a _Castle_ marathon. And I just...I regret it so much now."

"Then let's never, ever speak of it again. Erase these last two days from our memories now because we won't ever need them again." He says, subconsciously rubbing his fingers through her hair that is spread over his thigh.

She shakes her head, "Not before I tell you what happened today." She says, finally coming to terms with her embarrassing situation this morning.

He looks down at her with a concerned expression, "What happened?"

She sighs and sniffles, gearing herself up to relive this. "Today, my early class, they all brought a cake in for me. Long story short, it's because I made them feel bad for not treating me right – a story I'll save for a little later – and I was sitting down at my desk and I read it. It said: _Thank you for being a good teacher, Regina._ And it was really great. It had this huge apple on it and it had a few books, because of the literature part." She says. All through this Robin was nodding, but keeping that concerned expression. "Well...the cake was setting on this big book that we're reading right now, and it was open and hanging slightly off the desk. When I get up to hug my students, I pushed down on the book and flipped the cake all down my dress and onto the floor. It was so humiliating."

By now, he's laughing so hard that she had to sit up off his lap. She rolls her eyes and mutters _laugh it out. Ha-ha. _"Oh gosh, Regina. Did you get video?" He asks, and she shakes her head. "Please tell me _someone _got video!"

"Hopefully not!"

He smiles over at her and opens her coat, seeing the remnants of the cake splattered all over her black dress. "Ahh, and _that's _why you're wearing a long trench coat on a sunny day!" He says with a laugh, still completely amused and enthralled.

She rolls her eyes and rips the coat from his hands, dramatically shutting the gap and covering the cake stain. "I'm so glad I could entertain you over my humility." She mumbles, flipping her hair.

He leans over and kisses her, then slides down her upper body and rests _his _head on _her _lap, this time. "Very much so, my dear. Very much so."

**..**

…

Robin had gone home that night, saying he needed to change out of his football clothes before he had to smell them again. Regina hated it, though, that he had to leave. She hated leaving like that, still that looming feeling of distrust and betrayal on her end. She had realized she was totally in the wrong, last night, when he said those things to her. She shouldn't have ever pried into his life.

But today, she's happy to see the _good morning_ texts started up again. She shoots a text back to him with a smiley face before getting out of bed and preparing for the day ahead.

The day went relatively smooth, at least it was much smoother than Monday, Tuesday, and even Wednesday.

She picks her things up to head for lunch, going out of the classroom and locking the door behind her. She almost drops her stuff and shrieks when she is goosed by Robin. "Hello, m'lady. Would you like to have lunch with me today?" He asks, the sarcasm just dripping from his tongue.

She smirks and takes a deep breath, "Now is that any way to greet a lady?" She asks, walking past him.

He catches up with her and walks beside her, "Of course it is, at least when she's mine..." He says and gooses her again.

She shrieks and looks back at him with wide and alarmed eyes, "Robin..." She growls, "If someone sees you we could both get fired..."

He chuckles, "All is fair in love and war."

"What is that...that's so not relevant." She says, opening the door for the teacher's lounge and finding it empty, just the way she likes it.

He comes up behind her while she's digging through the fridge, "Whatever. I was thinking we could go on a date tomorrow?"

"A date? Robin, please not another bar..."

He shakes his head, "No, no no no. That was a disaster, nothing on your part but just...a disaster." He says, making a sighing noise. "No, I was hoping something more traditional? Like dinner at my place?"

"Dinner? You cook?"

"I've learned a thing or two."

"Oh, so you've been watching Food Network again?" She asks playfully, getting that flirtatious banter back as she sets the food out on the table and pulls out a chair.

He sits across from her and shrugs, "It's a possibility, but that doesn't mean I haven't learned how to cook anything."

"Oh?" Regina asks challengingly, stabbing the broccoli on her plate with her fork. "And what shall you be cooking tomorrow, Great Chef?"

He narrows his eyes, sensing her sarcasm and making her grin. "It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises. I find them threatening, like the meat in the cafeteria..."

"True." Robin agrees, but sticks his fork in the broccoli and twirls it around with a slight look of disgust worn on his face. "No...not that kind of surprise, though. It's a good one, and you'll like it. I learned to make it _just _for you, Regina."

She smiles and raises her brow as she chews up a broccoli piece, "Oh have you?"

He nods enthusiastically, taking a bite of his "nasty green stuff" as he calls it and looking up at her with those soft eyes of his. "I have indeed." He says with his mouth full, but catches himself doing so and quickly covers it to not make Regina upset. He finishes chewing it, then swallows, then brings his napkin back to his lap instead of on the table. "Please? Just agree to it? If you don't like it we can order some take out Chinese or something."

She ponders the idea for a moment, scooting her cauliflower around on her plastic, disposable plate. "Okay...fine. Only if there's wine too."

"Oh, there will be wine. Your favorite, too. And I also maybe got some cheesecake from the bakery in town..." He says with a cheeky smile.

She smiles softly, "It sounds like a date, then, if you have cheesecake." She says, being flirtatious and coy like she always could be with him.

She was happy to realize their fight didn't do anything to their relationship, it had only brought them closer in a way. And Regina knew, the next time he needed her help that she would be _right _there, the first one to help him. Not make the same mistake again and almost cost her a really nice man, and a really nice man to her boy, too. She was still scared, though, that she would screw this relationship up somehow.

"Glad I won you over with the cheesecake and not my charmingly handsome face."

She rolls her eyes and scoffs, throwing a piece of broccoli at him. Even she can easily admit, that broccoli is _nasty. _"I try to stay away from that charmingly handsome face, it seems to get me in trouble."

"What kind of trouble, m'lady?"

She smiles. _The kind of trouble that makes her give her heart away to a total thief. A hustler. And a once jerk. _"Just...trouble." She answers with a sly grin, looking down and continuing to eat.

**..**

…

"Hey, Regina?" Robin said on the other end of the phone. "I ran into a problem. The wine spilled all over my floor, and I have nothing else but hard liquor and I know you don't want that. I hate to ask...but can you bring some? The food is already cooking and I can't leave it-"

"Yes, Robin." She interrupts him, reaching behind her and zipping her fitting, sleeveless red dress up. "Really, it's no problem at all. I can bring it." She says, already thinking of which wine to bring. Her best one, of course.

He tells her thank you, they say their goodbyes and she steps into her black heels. She goes to the kitchen after grabbing her phone and purse, getting the wine and setting it carefully in her bag that hangs over her shoulder. "Henry?" She calls out, "I'm going to go with Robin tonight, Emma will tuck you in tonight, okay?"

"Okayyyyyy..." He groans from the living room, his eyes glued to the television. She comes in and turns it off.

"Homework." She commands, and he does so. He already knows he's supposed to do it before watching cartoons, not after. But he likes to push her buttons sometimes, even when her buttons have been pushed way too many times this week. She is just glad that it's Friday and tomorrow she gets to go watch Robin coach, hopefully it'll be a win since it's the first football game of the season.

After she hugs Henry and kisses him on the cheek (leaving red lipstick residue that she absolutely adores on those little chubby cheeks), she walks out the door and heads to Robin's.

She knocks on his apartment door, standing on the front stoop while waiting for him to answer. He comes to the door with an apron on, a bit of what looked to be spaghetti sauce on his cheek. "Good evening, Regina." He says with a big smile, inviting her in by taking a step back.

She steps in and smiles, snickering a little when she turns to him and wipes the sauce from his face with her index finger. "Mmmm...tasty!" She coos, sticking it in her mouth and licking it off, her lips closing around her finger.

He narrows his eyes playfully, "I never said I was the cleanest." He counters, closing the door behind her and walking to the kitchen again.

Regina takes this time to look around. She notices his apartment is spotless – well...mostly, there's probably twenty candles illuminating the room, making the light flicker a little each time the flame would. It smells like heaven between the pasta and the candles, which are all apple pie scented she notices (and she can't help but smile at that, him remembering that was her favorite scent when she was a child). She stalks in further, clutching her bag in her hands and holding it over her legs, her thighs making it bounce up with each step. The bean bag chairs are set to where they're facing each other, with a cloth between them for the food. A candle is placed in the center of that as well.

She smiles and looks back in the kitchen where he's juggling to finish his planned out meal, seeing him struggle made her beam, realizing he's doing all of this for _her. _He's coming out with it now, two plates in two hands, his apron still on that says _Kiss the Cook. _He sets them in front of the bean bag chairs and scurries off to the kitchen again, coming out with two wine glasses and silverwear. "Alright, are you hungry?" He asks, taking his apron off and hanging it on the coat rack, showing off his attire for the evening: dark jeans, a royal blue, button-up shirt, and a nice belt.

She nods, "Indeed." She replies, reaching for the wine in her purse and handing it to him. He takes it and thanks her for bringing it, but she doesn't even hardly realize what he's saying. She's too caught up in the fact that he's still doing all of these things for her, even after what she did to him Monday. And in the back of her head, wanting to come forward and into the front, she realizes a strong fact: she's falling in love with him. Head over heels.

He looks over at her, standing beside the bean bag. "Regina?" He calls out, but she doesn't even hear him. She's still staring at him, holding her bag with both hands. "Regina?"

"Oh!" She exclaims, finally snapping out of her daze. He laughs and shows her to her "seat", taking her bag and setting it on the couch next to them. She sits down on the bean bag and folds her legs underneath her, straightening her dress out once she gets situated. "This is really nice, Robin...I wasn't expecting it to be so..."

"So clean?" He asks with a chuckle. "Before you get too proud of me, I hired a maid." He admits, pouring the wine in her glass first, then his. "I didn't have enough time with teaching today, then football practice."

She nods, "I understand, but a maid is better than nothing." She teases. He laughs a little at her joke, and she also realizes how much she's missed that laugh in just the two days they weren't speaking to each other. His smile, the way his blue eyes sparkle when he talks to her, and most of all, his warm hugs.

They begin to eat, and once they've each had two glasses of wine, a plate of five-cheese ziti like Regina likes, and a slice of cheesecake, their chairs are scooted together and they're leaning against the couch, but Regina is mostly leaning on him. He's drawing lazy circles on her forearm, looking down at her perfectly balanced skin. "Was the meal good?" He asks.

She nods, "It was very good, much better than I'd ever imagined you could cook, to be completely truthful." She says with a small smile, her eyes looking up at him.

He smirks and continues the circles, making the hair rise on her arm. "Good, I was hoping I could surprise you." He whispers. After a short moment of comfortable silence, she feels him take a deep breath in, her ears picking up the noise of what sounds like a gulp. "About what I said on Monday, about...me being...me. I...it was all true. Is all true, actually. And I just want you to know I don't do that anymore. When I saw you in the school hallway that day, I knew that I could stop there, because there wouldn't be anyone else I even _wanted_. And there still isn't. I just...I feel like a pig, sometimes, over all of it. And I want to forgive myself but I can't, so I'm just hoping you can forgive me for it."

His words melted her heart, the way he wanted to change _for_ her. She knows he came here to start a new life, to leave that old one behind, but the thought of her helping him stay this way really made her warm inside. "Of course I will, Robin. It's not...it's not like you were under contract with me, or something, to not sleep with anyone." She whispers back, sliding down to lie on his thighs and look up at him. She brings her hand to his chin and rubs his scruff, "Neither was I, that's why we both have children and they aren't from the both of us. But...I'm just glad I've helped you become the man you want to be."

He nods and starts running his fingers through her hair – all spread over his jeans – and takes another deep breath, but this time Regina feels it to be more calm. "Yes, you have. And I can't thank you enough for it." He says softly, looking down into her eyes.

Regina swallows thickly, knowing how much she was falling in _love _with him. She wants to tell him, her heart is yearning for her mouth to just let her say it. But she doesn't, not yet. It's too soon to say it. Instead, she pulls him down slowly and presses her lips to his for a heated but slow kiss. A kiss that makes her stomach flip, that makes her hands rub against his scruff even more. She opens her eyes to see his closed ones, admiring the passion he has when he kisses her. She knows...she knows it's time. She pulls away softly, letting their lips unseal with a soft _pop_. "Robin?"

"What is it, m'lady?" He whispers, still admiring her with a soft expression.

She clears her throat, now it's her turn to take a nervous and deep breath. She opens her mouth to say something, but stops and pulls him down slowly again for another heated kiss. She moans and relaxes her body before rolling to her knees, sitting on her own bean bag, now. She reaches for the zipper of her dress and slowly pulls it down, watching Robin as his facial expression changes; his lips parting and his eyes watching her every move. She lets the dress fall and pool around her knees, then steps out of it. The innocent expression worn on her face matches the way she's holding her body, almost shy of herself. Her hand extends to his chin, her thumb rubbing over his mouth, whispers, "I think it's time, Robin." and gives a short hum.

Blue eyes have never changed so quick from bright to dark with lust as Robin catches the hint. He turns his body to face hers, placing his rough hands on her soft, baby-like skin, settling on her waist. He raises to his feet and picks her up with him in a swift and easy motion, his mouth immediately on hers as soon as they both found their feet. His right hand roams the curve of her back, down to her ass and below. It stops at the top of her thigh and his other hand joins on the other side, hauling her up on to his waist. Kisses are being fervently placed on her neck, making her back arch and her breasts rub against his chest as he stumbles his way to the bedroom.

When Regina opens her eyes again, the realization hits her that this is happening. She almost feels like backing out, but she's the one who said yes to it. She's the one who suggested it, so she lets herself be lain down on the bed. Her arms come above her head, making her clothed breasts rise underneath her chin as he stands between her legs, still peppering kisses along her skin. She feels him stop and suck at her collarbone, and she closes her eyes thinking of the mark that will leave, and the turtle necks she'll have to wear.

He stops and opens his eyes, his dilated pupils meeting hers. "Are you sure?" He asks, being the gentleman he always has been with her. When she swallows and nods, he starts again. His hands glide her body up the bed until she's in place where she should be, his knees crawling up on the edge and staying between her legs. Muscles of his chest meet her pelvis, her stomach, then her aching breasts. Stubble meets soft skin beside her lips again, and now his hand is working over her lacy, black bra. She lets out a whimper of some sorts, aching to be touched and rubbed, massaged and loved.

She positions her hips against his, wrapping her long legs around his waist and feeling that friction against her wet center. She's realizing that she's not doing anything, that she's just letting him take her so easily. Her eyes open again and she bites at her lip, reaching between them to feel for his erection. Her fingers find his belt – a constriction in her eyes – and quickly unbuckles it to where it's hanging from his hips, the buckle and post making a quiet clinking noise amongst all the sloshy noises from Robin's kissing. The button is quickly undone and she finds his erection in his boxers, wrapping her fingers around him gently.

Her hips still are grinding against his, making him moan as his tongue drags down her chest and to the valley of her breasts. He finally (_finally – _in her mind) reaches down to the front clasp of her bra, letting her breasts finally be free and looking down with wide eyes. He mumbles something to her about how beautiful she is every time, but she can't hear him from the pounding of her heart and practically her whole body. _Damn, he made her feel perfect. _

Moaning emerges through the room from her mouth and her eyes close again as his suddenly wraps around her rosy nipple, hard and erect. His tongue swirls over and over, making her hand squeeze a little tighter and a chain reaction from Robin, letting out a groan. Her body jerks at the sensation of his tastebuds over her skin, just as he switches to the other one. His attention is never only on one, letting his hand twirl and gently pinch as his mouth words on the other.

She hisses his name, o_h- OH! Just like that, __**just **__like that. _Her other hand slides up and into his hair, tangling her fingers around in the dirty blonde mess. She's going to come just like this if he keeps it up, not that she really minds doing so like this. But she wants to feel him inside of her, penetrating her to the deepest extent. So she opens her eyes and stops him by placing her hand on his forehead, pushing him back and away from her breast reluctantly. She nods, letting him know what she wants.

If she didn't know better, she would've thought he was already naked – just from the short amount of time it took for his bare erection to be rubbing against her panties. His fingers roam between her thighs, feeling around and then realizing. "Crotchless?" He whispers.

The blush on her cheeks are undeniable as she bites her lip shyly, nodding and making him smile even wider. He shakes his head, mutters something about her naughtiness, but pulls her panties down anyway. "I want to see you...all of you..." He whispers, throwing the panties to the floor on the side of the bed. He groans and she can see his stomach heave, his cock jerk, as he sees how wet she is for him. It embarrasses her a little, being so wet for a man. But that's how she felt around him, he could do it to her so easily.

She jerks upward as she feels a finger under her entrance, sliding up and collecting the evidence of how ready she was. He holds his finger up and licks it, _mmmm. Damn...he's so hot. _Through all of it, her mind didn't cross the fact that she's not on birth control since she stopped dating Graham. Her eyes widen and she stops for a moment, hissing, "Condom." before letting him continue.

He groans unpleasantly and reaches over for his drawer, grabbing a condom out of the mess. He opens the package and slides it on begrudgingly. She can tell he doesn't like condoms, but she has no choice unless she wants to get pregnant, and that's not something she was wanting right now. He crawls up her body and places his erection at her center again, squeezing her breasts together with his hands as he pushes inside of her. Regina's belly tenses, her muscles clenching around him as she adjusts to his size. Her eyes were wide, not realizing how big he was before this was a foolish mistake. He asks if she's okay, and she nods, letting him go on.

A huff, a whimper, emits from her mouth again as she's penetrated, his tip pushing against her hilt. The back of her head digs in the bed, moaning embarrassingly loud. Her mouth opens, finally, to fill her lungs with much needed air. Hands set on his cheeks as she yanks him to her, making his lips crash on hers.

Finally, she gains control of her body – only a little. Enough to be able to move her hips up into his, showing that she wants him and showing that she's okay. His length stretches her to her fullest, but she's so pleased that she doesn't even think of the slight pain she's feeling. The pleasure overtakes that too much.

Hips are thrusting on both of them, moving in and out of her with moans echoing off the walls. His tongue was dancing on hers in their mouths, battling for who will be in whose mouth. Regina knew she wouldn't last long, that it's been so long since she's been so aroused. She moans and starts to feel herself tighten around him already, but she closes her eyes tighter and holds out. She doesn't want to stop yet. She can't. She won't. She needs more of him before she's finished, and that's just what she insists on.

Her hips tilt up to where he's hitting her in _the_ spot, making a jolting _Ah! _come off her lips. "Robin..." She moans out, gripping his biceps as he holds himself above her. He nods, knowing what she's saying. She could feel him tense up, his stomach get tight until they both released at the same time. Moans reverberating off each other as he collapses on her momentarily.

Her chest was heaving, breasts enlarged slightly and her whole body finally feeling pleased after so long. When he falls beside her, taking the condom off and throwing it in the trash next to his bed, he wraps his arms around her body and pulls the covers up over them. "There's no way in hell you're leaving me tonight..." He rasps, his voice still filled with lust.

She shakes her head, "No way in hell I'd want to leave you tonight." She whispers back.

**..**

**...**

_**Phew. That was one heck of a chapter, if I do say so myself.**_

_**Please remember to be nice in your reviews :) thank you!**_

_**G.**_


	5. Chapter 5- Part One

**Hello! Okay, before I even tell you what's going on, I want you to know I am not intentionally doing a two part like in ****_Baker's Dozen. _****So please, do not accuse me (again) of something I have no intentions of doing (copying). **

**My reasoning for the two part chapter is because we're ending at Wednesday in this chapter, and we're already at over 10,000 words. Which is more than usual for only a Wednesday, and why I'm splitting them up!**

**I will start working on the second part tomorrow, but for now here's part one!**

**Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions please ask me in my tumblr! (onceuponmakeup. tumblr ask with no spaces!)**

**Please, also, review and let me know how you like it. I haven't been getting much feedback or as much publicity (for lack of a better word...) on this story. Which is somewhat upsetting because it's the hardest one I've done! **

**So thanks, anyway! Enjoy!**

**G.**

**..**

**...**

_**ATLANTA HIGH TAKES THE FIRST WIN!**_

The large, proud smile on Regina's face couldn't be helped when she saw that title on the front of the newspaper this morning. With Robin's smiling face and his whole team standing around him, all of them had their fingers pointed up showing as _number one_. She pulls her phone out and turns the camera on, snapping a shot of the front page. She taps out a message to Robin, adding the picture to it with: _look, my boyfriend is on the front page! _and adds a shocked emoji to it before pressing send.

She folds the paper up and sets it down on the desk, still wearing that beautiful smile as she stands up. She makes her way to the stairs for Henry's loft, climbing up them and seeing he was still sound asleep. Her smile grew even bigger when she saw him move a little, groaning something inaudible. Sleep-filled eyes are slowly fluttering open and being rudely invaded by the light. "Mom?" He groans, his voice even smaller than usual.

She tip-toes over to his bed, her slippers padding against the carpet while making her way to his bed, sitting on the edge, running her hand along his warm cheek and asks, "Hello, my little prince. Did you sleep well?" Once he finally nods, she's pretty sure he's still halfway asleep. A chuckle escapes her mouth and she taps his cheek playfully, whispering, "Wake up...wake up, wake up, wake up..." being playful with him.

He groans and smiles a little while whining, _mommm. _She just smiles again and helps him sit up, "What are we having for breakfast?" He asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes – one hand on each eye and knuckles digging in to the sockets. It has to hurt.

She shrugs, answering, "Anything you'd like. Eggs and bacon, pancak-"

Before she could even finish, his eyes widen and a smile bursts on his face, "Pancakes!" He exclaims.

Nodding, she stands up and tells him it'll be ready in a few minutes. She makes her way down the stairs again and realizes her robe pocket is vibrating. She takes it out to see who it is, and bites down on her lip a little when she sees Robin's face. "Hello, my winning coach?" She answers coyly, a smirk slapped across her lips.

"Why, hello there, winning coach's girlfriend." He teases back, "What are you doing this morning?"

She clears her throat and sets her phone down, putting it on speaker and letting him know that so he doesn't say anything highly inappropriate. "I'm about to make pancakes for Henry." She states, getting a bowl out for the pancake batter.

As she's preparing the batter – eggs, milk, and Bisquick (because she hates to cook, enough, and doesn't want to make _anything _from scratch) – she carries on the conversation with Robin that somehow ends up with her saying, "Well, you'll have to ask Henry about that. My Sunday mornings are usually his, so you'll need his approval as to whether you're allowed to eat with us or not..."

"Can you give him the phone, please?" He asks. Regina's eyes widen and brows raise when he actually takes it serious, when she was only joking.

That was something she admires about this man, though. He takes Henry into consideration in whatever they're doing. Always makes sure he has a ride from school, to friend's houses, and was always reading to him and even helping with his homework sometimes when Regina would cook dinner. "Ah, sure." She replies, flipping all of the pancakes before going out to the living room to give the phone to Henry. "Someone wants to talk to you." She says, still holding it in her hand and he looks up with furrowed brows.

One brow raises, asking, "Who is it?" as he slowly and almost reluctantly reaches out for the phone, Robin staying quiet the whole time.

She shrugs nonchalantly before answering, "You'll just have to find out for yourself, I don't want my pancakes to burn." and going back to the kitchen, but keeping an ear out for their conversation.

"I hear that Sunday's are yours?" Robin asks, not saying who he is or hello or anything, a mystery for Henry. She smiles because she knows he loves mysteries.

"Robin?" The boy inquires, quickly figuring _that _mystery out.

She hears Robin answer _how did you know? _And the conversation keeps escalating from there. Every once in a while, she'll hear Robin whine to Henry, "But I like your mother's pancakes..." (which Regina would take the inappropriate way and have to laugh) and Henry would answer, "If you want to come over, you have to tell me the secret passcode." Robin would answer a few times and Regina could tell that he was just throwing out goofy guesses to keep the conversation going. Henry would say no each time. Though she knows Robin is joking in his replies, Regina was beginning to wonder if there even _is _a passcode, until she hears a pair of words that makes her smile. "Kingdom Keepers."

"You got it!" Henry exclaims, halfway shocked and halfway happy.

She hears Robin's chuckle on the speakerphone, "Of course I did. It was our first book we finished together, I couldn't forget that."

Regina smiles and nods, remembering it _was _the first book they had finished together. Even though Regina started him on it, Robin had read the last fifteen or so pages with him the night he came over. It made her heart warm, her stomach flip, and her nose...burn? _Shit. _"The pancakes!" She hisses, turning the skillet down before they burn even more. She flips them onto a plate quickly, and realizes – thankfully – they're only partially burnt. She'll eat those, just to save Henry the trouble of picking the burnt spots off that he hates.

"So I'll be over soon, then?" She hears Robin ask with a hopeful tone of voice.

She sees Henry nod out of the corner of her eye, "Yep. And bring Madden 12, please...that one is my favorite." He says, whispering the last part.

_Now _she decides to join in on their conversation, "I heard that." Regina growls playfully, looking in at her son who now has wide, _deer in headlights_ eyes. After she hears their goodbyes, she walks back into the living room and takes her phone. "So is he allowed?"

"Mmhm." Henry says, sitting back down. "We're going to play video games after, too."

Her brows raise, "Oh are you, now? Well, did you make sure he brings another controller so I can play too?"

He gives her the most demeaning look she's ever seen from _any_ ten-year-old; eyes narrowed, head tilted down, arms crossed. "_You _want to play Madden?" He asks in a confused tone. "Like..._a girl_...wants to play football video games?"

She shrugs, "I _have _been practicing on your Madden 11 while you're asleep."

"You what?!"

Her eyes widen, giving him a warning look of _you better share with your own mother – the one who bought it for you in the first place. _"Am I not allowed?" She inquires, still keeping that expression.

He huffs, "I guess so..."

She rolls her eyes and goes back to the kitchen after texting Robin and asking him to bring another controller, wondering when her little boy grew up so fast. And not only grew up, but grew up to act like _her. _Acts like her, looks like Daniel. Even if there had been question of whether they had gotten the right baby from the hospital, there was an undeniable answer when she heard his sassy remarks to her and to some others. So sassy, sometimes, that she has to scold him here and there.

Though Regina hasn't ever been the scolding type of mother, she has always made sure Henry got a punishment and a harsh word or two when he needed it. She made sure of that, because she saw both ends of the spectrum with her, her mother, and her sister. While Regina got the brunt of her mother's anger, her sister, Zelena (or Zee, because her sister had hated her name ever since she knew what it was), got the soft, "Dear?" and the halfway loving, "You're lunch is packed for school". Regina never got over the way her mother treated her, that's why she moved far, far away from New York City. She only visited last year because her father was in critical health, but he made it through and she and Henry went back home as soon as he was back at home and resting.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. She looks at her watch and realizes that ten minutes have already passed since Henry hung up with Robin, and that is probably him. She ties her robe and makes herself presentable before opening the door, "Hey, honey." She coos, leaning in for a kiss from him.

After kissing her, he walks in. "Mmm...that smells delicious." He admits, sniffing the air like it was the most amazing thing he'd smelled in a long time.

"Thanks." She says, trying to hide her obvious smile when he compliments on her food is always one of the hardest things she has to do. She knows she isn't a great chef, but she's glad she can make him happy with her food.

She can't help but think about the startling fact that he makes her feel like _herself_ inside. He makes her smile, laugh, and he's even made her cry now. Or the fact that having Roland and Henry playing in the front room with Roland's Tonka trucks and Henry's broken iPod, and having Robin pinch her ass between his fingers playfully in the kitchen while she's making breakfast makes them all feel like...a family.

But she tries to not think of that, tries to remember that they've only been dating a little over three weeks, not even a whole month yet. Her feelings for him are somewhat uncontrollable, she's baffled as to why. When she smiles because of him, though, it's a hard feeling to shake off.

By dinner time, they all gathered for a hot, steamy, fresh-from-the-oven pan of lasagna, Regina's favorite dish to make. She has to scold Roland in her gentle tone for standing in his seat, and she watches as Henry pushes his peas to the side of his plate. She looks up at the face connected to the hand that was doing so, and laughs when she realizes it's Robin instead of Henry.

_Manners and eating habits of a ten-year-old._

**..**

…

Monday morning came sooner than she really wanted it to. She has a board meeting today _with _Tamara Mendell, principal of Atlanta High. She is somewhat nervous, actually, for this. Not one person has told her why the sudden meeting, and if it's just with her and the board or what. Plus, she doesn't even like Tamara and doesn't exactly want to spend even fifteen minutes sitting across from her at a table.

Regina isn't the kind of person that just doesn't like someone off the bat. She does, at least, give them a chance. Tamara is the same. Her first day that she had transferred to the school, they had thrown a little gathering type of thing – teacher style: lazy jazz music in the background, a foil balloon here and there, and nothing _too_ awfully fun. Before the "party" started that day, almost two years ago, Regina was still setting up streamers in the teacher's lounge and trying to make the place look somewhat like a party was going to be thrown there. That's when _it_ happened. Greg walks in, offers help to Regina (who gladly accepted), and Tamara stopped him.

First strike? Yes. It wasn't until Tamara accused her of trying to steal Greg from her, which Regina had _absolutely zero_ intentions of doing. She still remembers arguing with her outside of the lounge in the hallway, "I'm not stealing anyone. I have no time for dirty affairs or relationships, whichever you may think that was. He simply offered to help when no one else did." She had explained. Tamara wasn't having it, and also took away her raise that Regina was supposed to get the next month.

But today, she tries to put all of those stupid quarrels and dirty looks in the back of her mind as she watches her feet, making her way to the conference room. The clicking of her own shoes are driving her crazy at the moment, her thoughts already buzzing inside of her head. She clenches her fists and opens the door, seeing the room empty. She looks at her watch and whispers to herself, "Early as usual." She tells herself, smiling slightly. It was something Regina always took pride in, being early.

She sits and waits about ten minutes before two people came in, Superintendent Belle French and the school's secretary, Ms. Blanchard. "Miss Mills, I see you're early, props to you." The Super says as Mary-Margaret pulls her chair out for her to sit, setting her bag on the table in front of them.

Regina smiles shyly and nods, "If I can't be early or on time it must not be important to me." She states, and to her that was very true. Regina is never late, anywhere she goes she's on time or even early, like today. That's why she leaves twenty minutes early to drop Henry off, so she knows he's never late to school.

Belle nods in agreement, "That's very true, I like the way you think." She states, pulling some papers out of her leather binder, an iPad from her oversized briefcase.

Regina sits quietly and fiddles her tongue around on her teeth, her hands clasped together tightly in her lap and her toes bouncing up and down off of the carpeted floor. She finally breaks the silence with a sigh, looking up at Belle and asking, "So...no one really told me what was happening today. Could you...possibly...fill me in a little?" in a soft tone of voice, not wanting to upset the woman who holds her beloved job in her hands.

The woman shakes her head, never looking up at Regina. "I can't do that, but I _can _tell you very great things are about to happen for you, Regina. Don't be nervous."

She nods, tries to breathe deeply, but Belle's "reassurance" didn't help so much. But she sits and waits, waits, and waits for about fifteen more minutes before two more people come in. Tamara and Greg. Tamara is wearing very casual clothes, something Regina is relatively surprised to see. "Afternoon," She greets, trying to sound warm but to Regina it simply sounded like nails on a chalkboard, "I'm sorry I was running late...I had one last box to pack and just wasn't going to stop there."

Regina tilts her head to the side, "Box?" She asks inquisitively, making Mary-Margaret's head raise from her paperwork and Belle's eyes widen with a tiny smile.

"Boxes." Belle corrects, "Mr. and Mrs. Mendell are leaving, and we are offering you to take her place as principal, Miss Mills, because you have worked here the longest of any of the staff." She states, making Regina's ivory cheeks blush slightly. "And you do very well with the kids, a student named..." She pauses and looks down at some of her papers, folding her arms and resting them on the table as she bends over a little, "Heather...Heather says that you are the best teacher she's had in a while, and so is Mr. Locksley. But he's only worked here for this semester, and he also is the coach. You, Regina, are very suitable for the job."

"Wait..." Regina says, taking a harsh breath and raising her brows. "You're...offering _me..._" She stutters, her eyes wide with shock. She's _finally _being offered her job that she's wanted for three years, since before Tamara ever weasled her way in and stole it before she could achieve it.

"Yes." She says, trying to fathom Regina's shock. "You should've actually been considered last time, but somehow you had gotten looked over. We do apologize for that, Miss Mil-"

"Yes!" She interrupts, completely unintentional; but it was like it had just set in that they're finally offering it to her. "Yes, I'd love to be the principal here. Do I still get to teach my Literature class?" She asks, almost sounds disheartened by her own question, afraid of the answer.

Belle looks at Mary-Margaret, who finally breaks her silence. "You _can_, but it may just put unnecessary stress on you, Regina."

Regina shakes her head, "I won't have that, I still want to teach. I love being a teacher."

"You can still teach, Miss Mills." Belle intervenes, "But your principal duties do come first, as that is your main job here in the high school." She explains. Her head turns to Tamara, saying _you're excused,_ and she gets up and leaves with Greg. Belle takes some more papers out, and Regina is beginning to wonder if it's bottomless. "I just need you to sign these papers, saying that you've agreed. Your salary will go from-" She pauses again and studies another paper, "From eight dollars and forty cents to twelve dollars and sixty cents." She says.

Mary-Margaret seems to not be able to help her exploding smile, "Congrats, Regina." She finally bursts, smiling even _larger._

Regina nods as a thank you, gives a small smile to her and turns back to Belle. Her heart was pounding, her head spinning. _A four dollar and twenty cent raise! _She thinks of how she can save, starting with saving for a newer and more reliable car. She thinks of the insurance and benefits she'll now get, and she can't help but smile when she realizes she won't have to have a headache every time Henry gets sick and she has to pay for the doctor's trip.

She looks down at her purse that's on the ground next to her feet, seeing Robin's texting her. _I picked up your mail today when I brought Henry home...you need to call me ASAP._

Great. Now what's wrong? Just when she is starting to have a really good day, this happens. She's pulled out of her bad thoughts by Belle's voice again, handing her the papers to sign. She takes them and starts putting her name everywhere that is needed. "Your hours will stay mostly the same, except you'll be leaving when school gets out at 2:00 instead of right after lunch."

"That'll do just fine, I can still pick my son up in time from school." She says as she hands over all the papers. She smiles at Belle and nods, "Thank you so much, Ms. French. I've been dreaming of this job for a long time, now. Thank you."

Belle nods back, "It sounds like you've earned it, Miss Mills." She replies as Mary-Margaret nods so vigorously, that Regina's pretty sure her brain may fall out some time soon. But on the bright side, at least she _is _happy for her.

After all, Mary-Margaret has been here three years now, only two less than Regina. She's been helpful to Regina when she's needed it, by giving her easy time off and working around her hours with the paperwork she has to do. She's (in a way) thankful for her, because without her she would've been stuck at school sometimes while Henry was waiting for her in the school pick-up line.

The Superintendent clears her throat and nods to Regina, saying, "You're dismissed, now. Thank you for being such a good resource to the school."

Regina has to pinch herself under the table, making sure she wasn't dreaming. But then that text from Robin rings in the back of her mind, wondering what is going on there. "Thank you, Ms. French. I will be learning my new job soon, right?"

"You start learning September 15th, exactly a week from now." She states, looking at a calendar app on her phone.

She smiles and nods, standing up and grabbing her things, saying, "Thank you, I appreciate it." still as she's walking out of the door.

Once it's closed, she puts her back against it and lets out a huge sigh, vibrating her lips a little while she's getting her phone out. She takes a deep breath to regain all that air she just put out, dialing Robin's number.

Two rings and he answers, "Hello?"

"Hey. You said I needed to call you?" She asks, trying to keep her hopes up and think of a good thing, not of something bad.

She hears him shuffling around, but it sounds like his scruff rubbing against the phone. "Uhh...yeah, hold on." He says, then she hears a door close. "Okay, I didn't want Henry to hear this."

Her heart has just sunk. What could it possibly be that's unusually disheartening that he doesn't want Henry to overhear it? She's pleased with him, at least, that he's switched rooms and _isn't _letting Henry get wind of whatever this bad news is. "Spit it out, Robin. What's the problem?" She asks sharply, her patience running thin as she shifts her weight to her other leg, then decides to start walking down the hall anyway.

He clears his throat – a sign in Regina's head that she may want to lean against a wall again. "You received a letter from the apartment complex. And no, normally I wouldn't open your mail at _all, _but this envelope was red and said _open immediately. _So I did." He says, the suspense already about to kill Regina and now he waits. Clearing his throat again, she leans against the wall, now, as he starts to explain, "They're saying you have until the end of the week in this building...they're demolishing the apartments."

"They're _what?!_" She hollers, yelling into the phone so loudly that her voice echoes down the halls. She sighs and turns toward the wall, leaning her forehead against the cool surface. "Robin..." She whispers, getting choked up. She stops for a moment to calm herself down, she is _not _going to be this weak over this already. "I can't possibly be moved out of that place in what...five days?" She says, doing the math on her fingers (it was never her strong subject). "Yeah, five days. I can't...there's no w-"

"I'll help you, Regina. Don't worry, some of my guys on the team need some volunteer hours and this would be a good way to get them. They're strong, they can lift boxes and carry them down the stairs." He assures, trying to make this situation sound better, she thinks, since he's had time to wrap his head around it already. "Don't worry, lovely, we'll get through it."

She sighs resonantly, "There's no way, Robin, that I can get an apartment by next week. No...it can't. They can't just kick me out like that." She says, her chest heaving with anger from them doing this to her. On a great day like today, they pull something like this where she's going to be stressed out while trying to learn a whole new job. It's very upsetting.

"Actually..." He starts, and she hears paper rustling, "They can. Your lease is up anyway..." He announces, making her day way worse than it ever should've been. She can't believe this, why would she forget about the lease? She asks if he's sure and she hears the answer the doesn't want. "Very sure."

_Shit. _"Robin...where am I going to live? I just had a really great job given to me as principal and now I-"

"Principal?!" He exclaims, making her pull the phone away from her ear to not deafen her from his yap.

She clears her throat, "You're now speaking to Principal Mills, but that doesn't even matter now because of the fact that Henry and I have no where to live." She says, the anxiety and stress starting to affect her voice, even, getting up into her head and making it pound and throb along with her heartbeat.

She hears a slight grunt of _really?, _coming from Robin on the other end. "Regina, you can most certainly live with me until you find a new apartment. I mean I would say you could live here indefinitely but I don't think that would be appropriate for Henry or for Roland..." That smile...it was back. He wanted her to live with him..._indefinitely. Indefinitely. _Oh, the words rang through her head in his deep British accent, her heart pounding and- "Regina?" She hears, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Oh...right." She replies, trying not to sound too awfully shaken up by the whole ordeal. "I...guess that would work. You could just ride with me to work in the mornings and-"

"With you? The woman who has her...whatever kind of metal_ 'music' _turned up so loudly throughout Downtown Atlanta that you had people screaming, and that you didn't even notice the handsome man in the black Ford Mustang staring at you with big eyes a lane over? Hell no, I'll stick to my car." He states, finishing his declaration with a little chuckle of pride at the end, for just schooling the master of sass. "But if you would like to ride with _me, _that's perfectly acceptable."

She huffs and rolls her eyes, smiling and so glad he couldn't see it. "I'm coming home, Robin. Bye..." She coos, staying on the phone to wait for his answer.

"Goodbye, lovely." He says sarcastically.

She presses the end button, shaking her head in a _wow _kind of way. _Men._

_**..**_

…

_Ms. Regina Mills,_

_Thank you for being a tenant on our property for the last five years. We more than appreciate your business with us, but we have sold our apartment complex and grounds to a large company, who plans to demolish the buildings and build something new._

_We no longer will be in management of the properties as of September 15__th__, 2014. _

_We advise you to move out by September 13__th__, Saturday, otherwise you may be bombarded by demolition teams and possibly not have enough time to get all of your things out. We are not responsible for any lost or damaged items if that may happen._

_Sincerely,_

_Royal Apartments_

Regina huffs as she reads the name. _There's nothing royal about these dingy, old apartments._ She rolls her eyes and looks up at Robin, the anger still evident in her expression as she waves the paper in front of her, "I can't believe they're just evicting us like this. That's not enough notice." She complains to him, sighing and running a shaky hand through her hair.

Ever since she has lived in Atlanta, ever since Daniel died in New York, ever since Henry was only _five, _she's lived here with her son. She's made memories – baking five years worth of Christmas cookies, five birthday cakes for Henry (six, if you count the one that she had dropped while getting it out of the oven. Cake was everywhere), five New Years spent with her little boy, staying up 'til midnight just to watch the ball drop. It would all be gone...nothing even _left_ of the apartment.

Her mind wanders back to the day she finally saw the apartment; five-year old Henry held her hand tightly and looked up at her with a little grin. "We're gonna live here, momma?" He had asked in that sweet, small voice that she missed _so_ much. She had nodded, then, stressing over getting moved in and trying to not think of her mother's words from earlier. She regrets it now, not listening to his stories, to his exciting "achievements", and most of all, not making more cookies.

Those were the best memories she would take away from here, the ones that made her smile with her son. And now she can take away the newest memories with Robin and Roland, the ones of them playing video games together on her couch or the ones of them at the dinner table.

"Regina, it seems to me that you'll have plenty of time." Robin asks, "Is there something else that's bothering you?" And Regina can't handle that.

She shakes her head and turns away from him, looking across her apartment from her kitchen, tearing up when she remembers just seeing Henry and Roland on that _exact _couch making memories. Her apartment certainly wasn't much, but there will be no more memories made _right there._ "I'm fine." She states simply, putting her hands on her hips and breathing extra deep. "Just stressed."

He shakes his head from behind her, moving a larger-than-normal stride closer and wrapping her in his strong arms. He settles his chin on her shoulder and angles his head slightly, giving her a gentle and scratchy kiss on her jawline. "I know it's hard, Regina. It's where he grew up." He whispers after a short moment of silence.

She feels him grasp on her tighter as she breathes hard again. "It's where I moved on." She admits, starting to get teary-eyed. _No...she refuses. _Not in front of Robin or Henry. "It's where I...gave those feelings for Daniel a rest. It's where I told you how much I miss him every day...and it's where _I've _grown." She states, meaning it emotionally and not in the physical sense like Henry.

His head bobs slowly up and down as he holds her, making her feel safe and comforted against his chest. "And now it's time to move on again, to start a new life as principal of Atlanta High, as a mother of an almost teenager," He says, which makes Regina sigh, "And as a part of my life, as well. And Roland's too, when he's here. It'll be a great life, Regina. It's whatever you make it."

She sighs and almost crumbles, almost breaks down to cry but stops. She swallows thickly, shutting her eyes and a tear escapes down her cheek. She pushes herself from his arms and shakes her head, "I need a moment." She says, walking around to the bathroom and locking herself in there.

Leaning against the door, she slides down and curls into a ball with her back to the door. Her face went in her knees as her arms wrapped around her legs, never wanting to exit this bathroom. She feels like a teenager again, crying against her bedroom door when her mother had gotten onto her. She swore to herself the last time she did that that she would never be so vulnerable and emotional again, not in that way.

But here she is, sniffling and letting out quiet whimpers into her skin. Over an _apartment. _But the knows it isn't just an apartment, it's where her memories were made new. Where she finally had the courage to leave her mother, to leave New York. Where she came home and cried after she finally buried Daniel's urn of ashes.

A knock on the door rattles her from her thoughts, making her jolt up and scoot toward the bath tub. She looks at the lock, making sure it's still turned. "Regina? Please, lovely, let's talk. I don't like to see you sad like this."

His voice sounds so sad, so heartbroken. Was it just because he saw her like this? Was it because she had spoken of missing Daniel again? Or maybe he thought he startled her with the "part of my life" piece of the speech he gave. She isn't sure, now, as she's glued against the cold tub – and she hates not feeling sure. Not knowing the answer. "Robin..." She mutters, shaking her head though he can't see her.

"If we're going to have a relationship, it involves talking to one another. Speaking and communicating, and understanding. And I can't understand you very well from behind the bathroom door, so that's out of the picture as of now. Please, just let me hold you." He pleads, actually seeming sincere and genuine.

That's what her body yearns for again – to be held in his arms like he was doing earlier in the kitchen, to hear his voice close to her body, and to just feel that heat from his skin. She wants that more than anything, but for some reason has a hard time opening up and showing that to him. "Why?" She finally mumbles aloud, "Why do you want me out there?"

She hears him lean against the door, probably his shoulder leaning there and the toe of his shoe touching (she imagines him like this, because he's so cool and calm about it all, like he's known this would happen for a month now). "Because I want to comfort you. And I want to tell you that it's safe with me, and that I'm not going to hurt you and that you can talk about what you're feeling. I have no problem with sitting on this couch in here, maybe sharing a bag of popcorn, and you pouring your heart out to me. Is that too much to ask, Regina? Because I love you and-" He stops, sounding as though he just caught what he said.

Her eyes widen, still full of tears. Her dry lips are parted slightly, looking at the door like it had just grown wings. "You what?" She asks, shock filling her voice.

He clears his throat, trying to open the door again. "Regina, please open up."

"Not until you tell me what you just said." She answers quickly, her tone serious and almost worried. She loves him too, but she doesn't want to sound like a complete fool for telling him that if that isn't what he actually said.

"I said that...I love you."

Her mind can't hardly fathom it, _he loves her. _Only a month ago she was trying to decide if he was part caveman (and she still wonders, sometimes) and only three weeks ago she was kissing him for the first time in the pouring rain after feeding ducks and being complete idiots. Immediately, the day he ran into her at school, she felt the attraction there. It's like she'd found someone that she'd been searching for mentally. So for that, she stands up and unlocks the door, a tear-stained face being shown to him. "I love you too, Robin." She finally admits in a whisper, more tears falling from her deep brown eyes. She can't explain why she's so, ridiculously, overly emotional, but she is. And she can't stop it, because they _love _each other. His arms come to her waist and he pulls her to him for a loving kiss, soft and slow like the first one they'd ever shared in the park that day.

As they mutually pull away, their eyes immediately are fixed on each other's. At this point, Regina is glad that Henry had gone upstairs to take a nap on his own, saying he was tired. Because otherwise, she couldn't cry like this in his arms. She wants to say, _I'm sorry I locked you out..._but just can't find the mind to do it. Instead, she sniffles, saying, "I didn't think you cared _this _much to listen to me."

His rough hand strokes her soft, ebony hair gently, his other hand rubbing soothing circles on her mid-back. "Of course I do, lovely. If I didn't care, I wouldn't bring Henry home from school, I wouldn't offer for you to move in with me for a while, and I wouldn't offer to even help you move. But I am, and I want to be here for you."

"Why?" She answers, almost immediately regretting it after the words spew from her lips. She's just so flabbergasted that someone wants to listen to her, no one had since Daniel died. She still even has grief in her heart over it, she never got to talk to anyone about it.

"Because behind that teacher mask, the one that you put on to make people think everything is okay, I know it's not. And I see it sometimes when you see Henry or when he brings up Daniel. And I want you to be able to feel like you can talk to me, Regina. Communication – it works." He whispers, now moving his hand from her back to her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone.

She gets caught in his eyes, her brows furrowing and her lips curling up and then in, biting at the both of them. She finally nods, whispering, "I'll try." Before kissing him again, with more passion on her end this time. They pull away gently, a brand new feeling filling the both of them. Neither could possibly explain what it was, but it feels like a burning in your stomach, a pounding in your chest, and dizziness in your head.

And she loves the way it feels.

She takes his hand and they walk to the couch together, sitting down and talking for probably three hours (Regina talked, Robin listened). The topics included why she's never opened up, why she moved from New York, and of course – Daniel.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I was really, _really_ happy over it. It wasn't the _best _circumstances since we were just engaged, but life happens and...it happens." She explains, leaning against his chest. Her body was finally, totally relaxed; her breathing has slowed and her eyes are lazily open. She hadn't been this eased since before Daniel died, but she likes the feeling of it again. "But of course I had to tell Daniel, and he was happy too. He was more of the worrier in the relationship, constantly asking if I was okay, or if I'd been taking my pre-natal vitamins and all that. I was definitely more easy-going back then."

"You?" Robin teases, "Easy-going? That's very hard to believe."

_Ow! _emerges from his lips as she gives him a playful smack on the thigh. "I was...I guess I took Daniel's trait when I _really _became a mother and had him in my arms. It's hard not to worry, then, especially being a single mother. I had to worry how I was going to pay my hospital bills, his doctor bills, Daniel's funeral bill...it was all really hard. And I had no one to help me, it was just...me and Henry."

She hears him sigh, his breath warm on her cheek from behind her. "You have me now, lovely. You aren't alone anymore, I can promise you that. Whatever Henry needs help with...I'm here to assist." He assures, starting his lazy rubbing on her legs again. "Does he like football?"

She nods, humming, "Mhmm."

"Does he know how to play?" Is his next question.

She shakes her head, "I never knew how to play very well either." She states, "I played flag-football in high school but I just never had time to teach him."

He smiles and kisses her head softly, her hair hanging on to his stubble. "Well, it sounds like a football lesson is in the plans soon, then. After all, I _am _the _champion _football coach." He says sarcastically.

She cranes her neck to look back at him, a demeaning brow raised, "You've won _one _game. Don't push it." She says, teasing back in that snarky manner that he loves.

He laughs and nods, "But we won. That's the importance."

"No, the importance is that you had fun. Right?" She asks, the motherly side coming out in her as she turns forward again, still leaning against his chest. "Because it's not whether you win or lose, it's about-"

"Yeah, yeah, thank you Mother."

She smirks, resting her head against him. "Thank you, Robin." She whispers after a short moment, "It felt good getting things unsaid off my chest, and I'm glad you're here to listen to me. I hope one day I can listen to you, too."

**..**

…

Robin went home last night after dinner, begrudgingly and against his will, of course. But he finally agreed, due to Regina's personal rule of no men sleeping in her house with her son at home. She didn't think it was appropriate, but she _did _miss sleeping against him. They hadn't slept together or had sex since the first time, and that's already been three days ago. Both were becoming overly needy.

She's _really _missing his warm body as she gets out of the bed at 6:30 AM, more tired than she usually is. She gets dressed, starts her morning as normal, and heads off to the school.

She was unfocused because of thinking about boxes she needs and moving, and also because Henry was feeling slightly under-the-weather when he woke up this morning. And she'd wondered about that yesterday, if he was feeling well, since he went to bed so early (and without his nightly story). But he didn't have a fever, so she sent him to school anyway. She hates, though, when she has to do that. She feels like such a horrible mother for sending her sick little baby boy into a place that's no fun anyway when really, all she wants to do is cuddle him all day. But she knows it's the thing she _has _to do, whether she wants to or not.

Into the school and past the teacher's lounge, she opens her door to her classroom to see Robin already standing there. "H-how did you get in here?" She asks, furrowing both brows and nervous that she forgot to lock the door yesterday before the meeting.

His devious little grin is just too much for her to handle, "Ah, I'm quite the pro in retrieving things that aren't necessarily mine. Back in my young and stupid days, I never got caught, but I would use my time very unwisely and steal a few things here and there. Your key, was the only thing I've ever stolen from you." He smiles and holds it in the air proudly, "But for good reason," He assures, standing up from sitting on her desk (which she highly disapproves of), asking, "Because I figured you may need a good morning kiss, a hug, and an _I love you _in person. Yes?" while bringing his hand up to cup her soft, warm cheek.

She was astounded by his amount of chivalry, especially for such a messy, no manners man. "Why, thank you." She says playfully, trying not to act stressed around him. She's found it only makes him worry more, and she doesn't like making people worry at all. She likes carefree relationships – as in she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She can handle herself.

He reaches down and kisses her as promised, pulling away after a few tender moments. "Here's your key back, m'lady." He says, handing it to her. She takes it with a knowing look, stuffing it in her purse that's already too full, hanging over her shoulder by a leather strap.

She moves away from him, walking over to her desk, setting her things down. She takes out the case with her reading glasses, preparing herself for the day when she feels Robin's stare lingering over her like a cloud. "Can I help you?" She asks, being playfully bitter and rude as she puts the case in her purse, plopping that down on the floor beside her feet.

He leans against the desk, his hands supporting him. She always gets distracted by the defined muscles in his arms – like when they were having sex, or when he throws a football, or times such as now where he's just supporting his body weight. His shoulders raise up and a quick shrug is shown, "Can I not watch my girlfriend get prepared for work?"

"Don't you have a class to be preparing for, as well, Locksley?"

"Ooh, Locksley." He teases, standing up straight and folding his arms over his blue polo. "Are you really that irritated with me, teacher? Or can I stay and wish I could take you against-"

"Robin!" She scolds, putting her glasses on the edge of her nose as she looks up again. "I will not be talked to like that in my classroom."

Eyes roll, weight shifts, "Well then, I suppose we'll just have to step outside beside the door so I can talk as I please." He says, stalking over toward the door. He reaches up for something, and Regina wonders what he's doing. Her question is soon answered by a quick pull of a string, making the blinds fall down over the door and completely close them off. He turns the lock on the door knob, whispering, "I haven't stopped thinking about Friday night, Regina. And every time I think about it, I get ridiculously hard for you." Her eyes widen, her cheeks filling with blush. _What is he doing? _she wonders, watching as he leans down to take her cheeks in both hands, pulling her up from her chair in a swift movement. Regina doesn't even have time to realize what's going on until she feels strong hand on her firm ass, "Are you going to make me beg?" He whispers, looking into her eyes.

She can't help but bite her lip, looking around as though someone may be in here. Her hands rest on his shoulders lazily as she meets his gaze with her eyes, whispering back, "Robin...we're at work." in a hushed tone, "We could get fired."

"...If we get caught." He says, making a rush of excitement bolt through her. She suddenly feels like a teenager, sneaking around with Daniel behind her mother's back, but this time it was with a man who knew much more of what he was doing, but both of their jobs were on the line. "And I don't have any intentions of doing so, do you?"

She blows out a soft breath through her nose, purposely forcing it more from her stomach as she feels the heat build. Realizing the embarrassing fact of how wet she is. "Not at work, Robin. I don't think it's a good idea..._but..."_

"But?" He asks, his voice sounding somewhere between wounded puppy and hopeful child.

She smiles and rubs a finger down his neck, past is lobe and down to his collarbone. "How about we take a nice, _hot...__**steamy**_ shower after we pack some boxes tonight?" She whispers seductively, knowing Henry will be gone to his friend's house. That is, if he feels better. And she so hopes he does (for completely selfish reasons, of course) now more than ever. "Henry won't be there."

She barely finished her sentence before he nods, "Please...oh please." He whispers, rubbing his hips against hers with a devilish smile. "This'll be hard to hide all day, you know, having to sit there at the wretched desk and think about you and I, fucking in the shower tonight."

She smiles and brushes her tongue along her lips, "Well, try your best, sweetie." She says in a demeaning, playful way before getting back to her desk and shooing him off to do his own work.

**..**

…

One box was hardly packed before she feels his hand rub against her ass again (for the fifth time in the last hour), making her jump a little and look back at him seductively. All the curtains in the house are closed, which is unusual for Regina's apartment – but for good reason. They're both stark naked.

She smiles at him, "Wait your turn, there, coach." She says, using the name loosely and playfully as she bends over again to close the box up. The box included the stuff they wouldn't need the rest of the week, like winter clothes for her _and _the few clothes Henry still has that fit him. "It'll all be yours very soon... _patience." _She whispers, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth. There she is, _flirting...again._

He whines, slouching over and tilting his head back, "Lovely, I've been waiting _all _day. We got one box finished...can't you cut me some slack?" He asks in a hushed tone, standing there in front of her as hard as she's ever seen him. He's been trying to speed her up all day, but she really does have to take her time in packing the things. She rolls her eyes, mumbles something in protest, and he finally just stands against her, rubbing the tip of his arousal between her thighs. "Don't make me beg, lovely."

A smirk fades onto her face as she hears those words, deciding to mess with him a little while she can (before she has no choice, herself). She bends over, strokes his member with her fingertips once, asking, "And why not?" in a low, seductive voice. "Maybe I want you to beg."

He shakes his head, his Adam's-apple bobbing as he swallows thickly, his throat mostly dry. Teeth are gritting, she can tell by the way his temple moves and his jawline is more sculpted than usual. His chin is cocked to the side, and she wonders if he's ever going to reply just when he answers, "Fine." in more of a hissing, _I guess you'll get your way_ tone. Swallowing again, he looks into her eyes passionately and takes a deep breath, his bare chest raising and touching her breasts (a sensation that she adores, honestly). "Regina Mills, I'd really love to take you to your bathroom, make the whole room fill with steam, and fuck you until we both can't stand. Right up against that tile wall, our skin slipping and sliding against each other, my hands gripping at your ass, my-"

"Okay." She breathes, interrupting him with her hand on his chest. Her heart is pounding, the wetness between her legs is undeniably embarrassing for just the little words he's said. But then again, he's hard standing in front of her, has been hard for a while, and has his body pressed against her breasts. She probably has good reason to be aroused, but she won't admit that. Instead, she slides her hand down his arm and entwines her fingers into his, turning slowly and looking over her shoulder in the overly seductive way, pulling him through the apartment and to her bedroom.

They hardly get to the bathroom door before their nails are in each other's backs, hungrily kissing and wanting more from each other as they both try to frantically reach for the doorknob. One of their hands finally get it turned, their body weight quickly opening the door and they fall through the frame. She leads him (because she's the closest to the faucet) by pulling him with her as she walks backward, her left hand coming off his back and her right one sliding into his wiry hair. She finally finds the spout – _up, up, _there! She turns the knob all the way on, scooting her hand over to the right knob and turning that one just barely. Hot water steams up the room already, and both lovers are glad they already have their clothes off.

Stumbling over the tub's edge, they're finally feeling that burning sensation of the steamy water, her back pressed against the cold – but warming – wall. His hands are already moving down her back, past her ass and just below. He stops there and squeezes, making Regina jolt up into his lips. She can't think straight, her nerves were unsteady between the amazing sensation he's giving her and the scolding water beating down on her skin. Her leg raises without thinking, her heel at his calf and resting there as he grinds into her more. She feels the change in him – it's hungrier and needier. "Regina..." He whispers, taking a harsh breath in as he pulls away. He opens his eyes, hers singeing into his as she looks through the steam, stating, "I can't wait any longer." And that raspy tone kills her, makes a chill run down her spine.

She looks down at his erection, seeing how hard he was and it made her feel better about the wetness. "Then don't." She whispers, keeping her head down and her hands on his shoulders. Suddenly, she feels his hands tighten on her ass as he hauls her onto his waist, the squeak of her skin against the wall making her eyes widen. "Can you hold me?"

He tilts his head forward, raising a brow – making Regina shudder again – " Of course I can. You're like a feather." He assures, his voice still raspy and full of lust. She nods, taking him in her hand and directing him toward her entrance. His hips push forward slowly, moans reverberating throughout the small room and probably so loud, into the bedroom too. She bites her lip down hard, keeping another moan inside of her – bottled up, pounding in her chest. He sees her do this and takes her chin, lifting it up and making her pay attention to him. "Regina, I want you to moan as loud as you can." He murmurs, still holding her chin. The lust was on pause, now he was just loving her.

She nods and looks into his eyes, definitely not used to being able to let her voice show during sex. During her "alone-time" either. She had Henry all the time with her. His hips finally start moving again, his pupils dilating slightly as the friction grows stronger. Her moans are no longer confined, though she feels a bit awkward about letting them _all _out like this.

Even with Daniel, she'd never been able to moan so loud. She maybe could've a few times, but mostly they were sneaking around her mother or his parents. She didn't want to get caught, and neither did he, so they kept it in.

She's pulled from her thoughts of her embarrassment, though, as she feels his hand cupping her breast suddenly. A shock shoots through her as he starts to hit _that spot_, and damn- _oh! _how does he know her so well already? It's like they've been fucking each other for years, like he's known what makes her tick forever. But this is only their second time. And gosh, she can't complain.

That hand of his never stops moving as his thrusts steady out, stimulating her erect, rosy nipple and rubbing just as much as she wants him to. "Keep doing that." She breathes, her head starting to fall down and toward his body due to the pleasure and relaxation. Until, of course, he rubs grabs her ass and makes her upper body jolt backwards, her head hitting the wall behind her with a thud. Fingers dig into his shoulder as she moans loudly.

"Like that, lovely. Keep doing that." He says, mimicking her words on accident. "Keep- _oh..._keep moaning, Regina."

She no longer feels awkward, no longer shy, no longer embarrassed. The moan that comes out of her vibrates her chest on the way up, and Robin couldn't help but kiss her while her lips are open like that. His tongue darts through and finds hers, but she just moans again. She feels her stomach tighten, her walls start to flutter and _oh! ohhhh..._there they are. Both, at the same time. Moans still vibrating off each other's mouths as his cum drips around his member, quickly being washed away by the hot water.

After a moment of silence, he slips out of her and carefully stands her on her feet. Her legs are wobbly, but she uses him to hold on to. "Damn, Robin..." She whispers, looking down and still breathing heavily. How could this man know her so well? Did she accidentally write a user's manual? _How to Have Sex with Regina Mills: For Dummies? _Surely not. As she falls closer to him, he's reaching for the soap and pouring some on his hand.

His grin never fades as he rubs his palms together, lathering them and getting them soapy. "You're amazing." He exhales, rubbing his soap-covered palm on her shoulders, down to her arms, her stomach and breasts.

She's enjoying the feeling so much – the one of being cared for and taken care of – that she forgets to even reply to him. Instead, she lets her body melt on his, her upper body completely limp and her head resting against Robin's shoulder so she can stand up. She feels him at her ass again, rubbing the soap as gently as he can while still cleaning everything nicely. His hand slips around to her front side, slipping between her thighs again and touching where he'd just fucked her. _Damn – _her body shudders again just at his touch.

"You okay?"

She nods, keeping her eyes shut and her head against his shoulder, moaning something for a _yes. _She spreads her legs a little more, her feet shoulder-width apart, now, letting him get better access. He cleans her good, rinses her off, and she does the same for him.

Making her way down his stomach, up his sculpted sides and arms. She just can't fathom how _hot _he really is, especially while fucking her. All of those muscles pop out even more, his veins showing as well. She loves the way he looks when he's giving himself to her, and she's going to look forward to it for a very long time. She rinses him off just as he did for her, carefully and lovingly.

This whole time, they'd stayed mostly silent. It wasn't quite uncomfortable, but nothing was needed to be said except what actually was. After they both are clean again, she turns the faucet off (again, because she's closer) and steps out of the tub with him. They both take towels, drying off. "I can't believe how beautiful you are even in the shower." He admits, rubbing the cloth against his face, making his scruff stick out a lot.

She chuckles lowly and shrugs, "I never knew how handsome you'd be with hot water running down your skin, either, so it looks like we both learned something new." She teases.

After they're both dry, he joins her under the covers for the first time in _her _house. Hands are found drawing lazy circles on the other one's body, his on her back and hers on his chest as they lie so close that not even a paper could fit between them. Their heads rested tiredly on the pillows, nothing has been said in quite a while. Regina finally breaks the silence, whispering, "Thank you for being here...through all of my emotional drama." somewhat guiltily, "I had no one to ever talk to about...you know..." She continues, not wanting to say his name, "And then you came along, _offering _to listen. You were a life saver these past few days...and I can't thank you enough."

His smile grows throughout her statement until it's a toothy, small one. "You definitely just did thank me, lovely." He replies, his hand now up in her hair and gently tangling and untangling his fingers through it. "And I always want to be the person you can talk to, most definitely." He confirms, looking down into her eyes.

She bites her lip at the thought of "always" and the way he said it. "When you say _always_...what do you mean?" She asks, going out on a limb and hoping her guesses aren't wrong. Hoping that he intends on staying with her for a long, long time.

He smiles again and kisses her forehead, she can tell he's getting sleepy by the way his eyelids stick to each other when he blinks. "You know what I mean." He replies, holding her close to him before his eyes close completely and his breathing starts smoothing out.

She really doesn't know what he means, but she doesn't want to push him for an answer, especially not when he's this sleepy. Consequently, her mind doesn't rest much as she's trying to sleep, wondering what he _really _meant.

**..**

…

Wednesday morning, she smiles as she realizes it _wasn't _just a dream. She wears the smile all day, even after packing a few boxes with Emma, Henry, and Robin at home.

"Okay, what is it, Regina?" Emma asks as she sits on one of the boxes, watching Henry and Robin walk out of the door to get some fast-food (since her utensils are already packed away). "You've had that smile all day. And I know you, you don't normally wear a smile for longer than ten minutes unless it's something Henry did that made you proud or you just got laid." She says, mostly teasing on the last thought.

But Regina's eyes widen, "You weren't here last night!" She says defensively, _clearly _not realizing the joke.

Emma's eyes widen to match Regina's shocked expression, "You really got laid?!"

"Don't act surprised!" She snaps.

Emma throws her hands into the air, "Hey...I'm just glad you finally did. You were getting a little tense." She says, making Regina wonder _why _in hell she keeps this woman around.

Later on, after the last box was being packed, Robin picked up the frame that held the one and only family photo that Daniel was in with Henry.

"Regina? You want me to pack this away, or keep it out so it doesn't get broken?" He asks.

She smiles with her back turned to him, thankful that he's still thoughtful about her ex-fiance. Normally, most men would want their girlfriend to _not _talk about their ex's, but Robin doesn't mind at all. Another reason she likes him so well, "You can pack it away...I'm..." She pauses to take a deep breath, to make herself follow through with her next words, "I'm moving on. New chapter, like you said."

**..**

**...**

**Leave me your thoughts, please! If you want to be a critic (which I gladly accept), please be nice! Thank you! And also, don't forget to ask me ****_anything _****about TTH on my tumblr! PLEASE! ****_Desperation._**

**Thank you!**

**G.**


	6. Chapter 5- Part Two

**I apologize in advance for the shortness of this...I'll promise and ****_try_**** to make it up to you in the next chapter with a long one!**

**Don't forget to review and ask me questions or anything about the story on my tumblr! ( ask [without spaces])**

**Thank you! **

**G.**

**..**

**...**

Regina agreed (for the first time in months) to let Henry sleep over at Emma's tonight. He didn't want to sleep here with his bed packed away, and he wouldn't sleep anywhere else. Consequently, Emma offered to take him for the night (and probably feed him candy or something else that Regina would disapprove of) and he ate it up quicker than she'd ever expected. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or hurt.

But, at least, the rule of no men was overrode since Henry wasn't here, and she got to fall asleep in _his _arms again for the second time in a week. She could really get used to that.

But right now, the alarm is going off and it's already 6:30 AM. Her eyes slowly, _slowly _open and the light floods in. Because she's on the second floor, she felt it was okay to go ahead and take the curtains down in her bedroom last night – a decision that she now regrets as she's practically blinded by the burning sunlight. She groans, shifting in his arms a little as she turns to her back. "Babe?" She whispers, bringing her arm to shake him awake gently, "It's time to get up." and thinks about last night.

Last night was lovely. It wasn't the amazing sex they had that made it _overly _wonderful, it was just the fact that they got to sleep together in her bed for the first time. She closes her eyes as she can feel his skin against hers like last night; warm and soft, the hair of his chest gently scraping against her breasts. She wishes she could just lay here with him forever, but her job says otherwise.

He mumbles something she can't hear at all as she moves again, her naked legs stuck together from their endeavor. They needed showers before school, because she can still smell the scent of ecstasy and sweat on the both of them. She shakes him again, this time he groans, _mmmm...rrrggg...guhh. _She's not really sure what that means, but she wonders if he's always this hard to wake up and how he ever makes it to work on time. She hisses at him again, this time growing more impatient in her tone.

"You need to get up, it's already 6:35 and we both have to get showers." She whispers, sitting up in the bed and holding the covers over her naked form. She feels his hand under her, moving from the pillow where it had been above her head, down to her ass. He brushes against it, _mmmpphhh_. Eyes rolling, she finally just shoves him. "Robin!" She warns, "Get up, before you brush my ass again."

"But it's such a wonderful, beautiful, touchable _and _brushable ass..." He whispers, and _that's _when she can tell he's still half asleep.

Nonetheless, it makes her smile and bite her lip. "We can shower together...you know...save water and all that important stuff..." She whispers enticingly, hoping to _bribe _him out of bed since nothing else seems to be working.

Upon those words, he finally perks up. Almost immediately sitting up in the bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, stretching his arms over his head with the blankets pooled in his lap and covering his goods, mumbling, "I'm up...I'm up." as he rubs her knuckles across his eyelids.

She laughs, whispering, "You're so bad..." and shaking her head.

He smirks, his hands still rubbing at his eyes tiredly, but let's out another _mmm. _"You know you love it, though, Regina." He counters, moving over to lean on her and run his fingers through her hair.

Before he can, though, she rolls her eyes and moves (making him fall, and giving her a good 6:40 AM laugh), "I do, but not in the morning when I'm trying to drag me _and _you out of bed. Chop chop, let's go." She orders, pushing him over playfully and rolling herself out of the bed onto her feet.

She looks back at him, seeing him still lying down on the bed and she laughs, shaking her head. "Come on, handsome, I'm feeling awfully tired and I think I need someone to bathe me." She coos, watching him get up and stalk to her sleepily, stumbling once over their clothes from last night. She lets out a laugh as she feels his strong arms wrap around her waist, his morning erection against her ass.

He kisses her neck lovingly, she notices that, and coos back, "I love you, Regina Mills."

She looks back over her shoulder and smirks, "I love you too, Mr. Locksley." She says as she pulls them into the bathroom, turning the water on and letting it warm up before stepping in. She immediately starts to rinse like she always does, but a firm hand stops her.

"Let me take care of you, lovely." He whispers, his body towering over hers slightly. At least that's the way she feels sometimes, like he can shrink her into nothing. In a good way, not an uncared for way.

She smiles, that little twinkle shining in her eye, whispering, "Okay." while keeping that awed expression.

He nods and grins at her, taking the shower head off of the holder and rinsing her hair, rubbing his fingers through what felt like, to Regina, each strand of hair. Reaching for the shampoo, Regina takes the moment to realize yet again how muscular he really is. His pectoral muscles flinch and twitch as he moves, even. She wonders if that's from football or from his previous gym time. She isn't sure, but she isn't about to interrupt the amazing shampoo massage he's giving her. His fingers actually, amazingly, dig into her scalp and make her shudder. Now she's wondering where he learned to massage so beautifully, but again, doesn't interrupt.

She starts feeling a little guilty, her getting all the pampering and him getting nothing. As she reaches for the shampoo, he takes her wrist gently and shakes his head, looking in her eyes. "I like to watch you, Regina." He whispers, "I love seeing the way you are during sex, and I love seeing your face and body this relaxed every chance I get. You deserve it, it's been a stressful week."

And that it has. They've almost packed everything up in less than three days, but the emotional stress is what is making her exhausted. She's seen every picture of Daniel she has and every baby picture of Henry she's ever taken. She's cried and felt Robin's arms around her as her safety net like usual. She never gets emotional, but to bring up the past was a touchy subject and to _see _memories of the past was even worse. She nods, answering, "I suppose it has been." before taking her arm away from his grasp slowly, letting him finish his wonderful head massage.

She can't help but be slightly embarrassed over the way her body falls into his a little after rinsing her hair, just completely in awe of what he's doing for her. He chuckles a bit and takes the soap, pouring some in his bare hand. He rubs it together onto both hands and starts at her shoulders, rubbing and lathering her ivory skin and making his way down her arms. He rubs each arm, giving the same loving attention to each one. Sliding to her breasts, she has to bite her lip to not moan. Again, embarrassing how she can't hardly control her sexual feelings toward this...this _wonderful _man.

His smirk is unbearably cute, though, as he notices her moan, "Unless you want to be very late to work, I suggest we better not make the beautiful sex noises or I won't be able to control my desire for you, lovely." He murmurs, making her bite her lip.

Chuckling, she answers, "I'll try not to..." and reaches up to kiss him lovingly.

He smirks and slides his hands down her body more, over the curves of her hips and down her thighs. Biting his lip, his eyes drift down her body and stops where his hands are, "Open up, lovely." He whispers, and she does as he requests. His hand slides gently on her sex and rubs, lathering the soap there. Her eyes close and her forehead rests on his shoulder. She knows she isn't _supposed _to get this turned on by this, but she is. But he stops. _Why is he stopping? _"Regina?" He questions.

She doesn't move from him, rather hums, "Mm?" and waits for his answer there.

"I..ah..." He stutters, looking down to his hand. She opens her eyes slowly, not paying much attention to what he was talking about from being too relaxed. "Look." He finally asks.

She looks at his hand between their bodies, keeping her forehead on his shoulder. "Oh gosh! Oh my gosh, Robin." She hisses, standing up straight. She quickly rinses off and turns the water off, looking at him. "I am _so...__**so **_sorry." She apologizes, the blood on his hand still showing up in her mind. Her face is red with embarrassment as she steps out of the tub, wrapping a towel around her body. "I should've known, I'm sorry, Robin." She apologizes again.

He steps out with her and grabs the other towel, drying off and replying, "Don't worry, lovely...it happens..." and biting the inside of his cheek. She can tell he's trying to stay cool and collected about it, but she knows how awkward _he _has to feel too.

She shakes her head and sighs, "Thank you, Mother Nature, for coming at such a perfect time to freak my boyfriend out." She mumbles, drying off and walking out.

**..**

…

She hears him on the phone as she comes back to the teacher's lounge from the restroom, scrunching her face while hearing him yell. She stands back, not intentionally (at first) listening in on his conversation...but it happens. She still feels awkward about today, also, and doesn't really want to go in just yet. Horrible is more of an accurate word for how she feels, she was completely mortified this morning and so was he.

"Look- no...no." He says, she sees him shake his head and keep his free hand balled up in a fist on the table. "No! That's not it at all. Fra- _Frank, _please just listen to me. Please." He begs.

She furrows her brows, wondering what he's talking about now. Wondering if she should walk in at this time? Wondering if she should back away and go into the bathroom again so she won't be prying. But no, she stands there and completely ignores her own thoughts while listening to his words, like, _he's safe with me _and _you can trust me. _She doesn't know a Frank, so she pries in some more.

"Frank, please. I miss him so much and he _does_ have friends here." He states, still using his harsh tone that Regina hasn't heard often. Frank must be talking, now, because Robin doesn't say anything until she sees his fingers tighten up a few moments later. "He's my son, I deserve to see him every once in a while. He needs one parent in his life and-" there he was, cut off again.

Regina doesn't know "Frank", but "Frank" must be a real jerk. She walks in further, now, realizing this was about Roland. She sits in the chair in front of him, folding her hands in her lap as she sees his face get redder and redder with anger.

Shaking his head, eyes tearing up, "I haven't seen him in two weeks. I miss him, his friends miss him. He has a little boy that he plays with here, he's ten and his name is Henry. They get along so great, do you really want to take that away from him? His mother first, then his father, then his friend?"

She sighs, knowing how badly it was hurting him to have to yell like this, just seeing the strain in his cheeks and under his eyes as he tries not to cry. She decides that now is a good time to reach her hand out, laying her palm over his balled up hand. She feels it relax, and she smiles softly, reassuringly for him. She just wants to let him know she's _here, _right here.

But that all goes down the drain when it tightens again, "You can't tell me I'm not his father. If you would let me see him – _damn it _no! Let me finish, please! For once!" He yells, actually enough to make Regina startle slightly. "He is _my _son. There's no doubt, the DNA test was done and he is most certainly mine." He says. Regina huffs, wondering why they even had to do a test. She sees Robin in Roland's eyes every time she gets to see those adorable little ones. And the dimples, that grin...she doesn't know what his mother looks like but she _knows _his father's in him.

She swallows thickly and holds the top of his hand still, trying to silently calm him down as he continues, "If you would just let me have more time with him, he loves it here and loves the city, loves my friends and his. I've turned my whole life around for one purpose: him. And now after all of this I don't ever get to see him. That isn't right, Frank, and you know it. I never got a chance to be with him except weekends, which is all I _barely _get now, too."

Another long pause. Regina's heart pounds hard, feeling as though it was outside of her chest as well. She makes herself calm down by rubbing her other hand over the one that's holding his, halfway rubbing his fist too. She doesn't know exactly _how_ bad Robin must have been four years ago, but she's gathering it was pretty bad if he's having this much trouble getting his son back.

"Please, one week is all I ask. And he can have some fun here and I can _finally _get some time in with my boy, that's all I've desired, Frank. That's all I've wanted."

She smiles and nods to him, pressing her lips together and giving him a soft expression. It's then that she really knows undoubtedly he loves his son. Just like she loves Henry – it wasn't in the best circumstances for either parent to have a child, but they did and they're such great joys in both of their lives.

She's so lost in her thoughts, she doesn't realize he's hanging up by saying, _Okay, Sunday_ and throwing in a _thank you. _She gives a little smile again at him, "I take it that was Roland's grandfather?" She asks cautiously, seeing he was still a little upset and actually – fuming.

Filling his lungs with a deep breath, he nods and cocks his jaw to the side, snapping, "He still says I'm an unfit parent. After _all _I've done!"

She sees his anger is more than she's even estimated. Baffled, she sits there quietly with her hands in her lap and looks down at them. Minutes pass and their food is getting cold, "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, not sure whether she should have just done that or not, but she took the chance.

Another moment. _Great, she shouldn't have asked. _

"I just want everything for the kid." He finally answers, making Regina look up with soft eyes.

She nods, urging, "Go on." and leaning forward on the table. While waiting for his answer, she concentrates on keeping her expression soft and kind, caring and compassionate. Something she wasn't always the greatest at.

After another moment, he replies, "I know I screwed up that night. It was my fault she got pregnant, but I tried changing for him after I saw what it was like being a father. Me and Marian..._Marian and I,_" He corrects himself, knowing Regina would've otherwise, "We were doing okay the first year. And he was just really a happy boy. But of course, me being an idiot, I screwed up again and kept getting drunk." He explains.

Regina feels a ping of hurt in her heart. Is it jealousy? Possibly. Every time he even brought her name up, it shot a pain through her. She knows it shouldn't be like this, she shouldn't feel jealous over someone who is dead, but she does and she doesn't know how to stop it just yet. There's also a small part of her mind screaming at herself for falling in love with a drunk. She knows the saying, _once a drunk always a drunk. _It scares her that one day, he may become that person again.

He continues after a bite of his food. She knows he's mad and unfocused, seeing him do what he did before he came to know her: chew while talking. She lets it slide just this _one _time. "And I mean, it was my fault. Yeah. But since when are there no second chances? Since when...since when is it that when one makes a mistake it's never forgiven?! I just don't understand...I _love _him and everything I try to do to get him...it just fails. Like this, I moved everything from back home. I changed my life around, I've been sober for two years now. I drink responsibly here and there, I enjoy a whiskey or two, but I never become a sloppy _drunk_ anymore. He just doesn't understand how much I've tried to change for my boy." He breathes, shaking his head as he buries his face down into his hands.

She sighs, never having realized how painful all of this was for him. She should've, she knows that, because she knows how hard it would be for her if she was in the same situation. She wouldn't be able to bear it. She _would _become a drunk if someone took Henry away from her, she's sure of it. Her hand slides under her chair and she scoots over toward him. Laying a gentle hand on his back, rubbing between his shoulder blades, she tries comforting him, "I understand, Robin." She whispers, "It isn't fair at all. Have you tried going to court for him?"

He nods, "Each time I do, I lose simply because he has a better lawyer than I can afford."

"Oh." She replies, looking down. Her hand is making soothing circles on his shirt, "Where did you used to live?"

"After London?" He asks, she nods, "I moved to Ybor City in Florida. Complete party central for someone like me." He explains, "That's where his grandparents live. We have to meet in the middle every time I get him."

"Wow, how long of a drive?" She asks, accidentally getting off subject.

"Three hours for the both of us." He states. "We meet at the state line."

She nods and continues her rub, "Oh..." She whispers, lost in her thoughts. "Has he ever seen how much you've changed? Has he ever...talked to anyone you know?"

"Like who?" He asks, "You? The only person I really know around here?"

She purses her lips and frowns, "You need friends."

"Tell me about it."

Sighing, she licks her lips and looks at him, saying, "If you want someone to talk to him, I'm here. Just to give him an update, Robin. You need your son and as great as his grandparents _may _be to him, they can't replace his father. They can't...they can't share that bond between throwing the football and having your _dad _catch it, or..." She pauses as she realizes she's talking about Daniel and Henry. No one can really take that over, but someone has to try. "Or have his dad yell at him to not run into the garbage can on his first driving lesson. Robin, this is too important to let go. You have to fight for it."

"Do you think I'm not fighting?" He asks defensively, looking at her with a hurt expression.

Shaking her head, she answers, "No." and clears her throat, "I'm just saying you need to get someone to help that can offer it – and that person is currently me." She says, volunteering herself without even thinking. Suddenly, she considers what she's saying. What if he really isn't a nice guy? The kind that yells at people for no reason, or just for trying to help someone they care about? She's nervous, now, but knows that she can't back out after she's told him she will.

"I can't have you do that." are his next words. She shakes her head but he stops her before she can say anything, "He's a jerk, Regina. He'd be a jerk to you too. I don't want him talking to you like that."

Huffing, she shakes her head, "I'm not ten, Robin. I can handle myself like a grown-up."

"But you're my girlfriend, Regina. You're the woman I'm sleeping with while my son is at his grandparent's – his dead mother's parents. Someone like him who is so pigheaded won't realize you're trying to help me, and not just help yourself into my bed."

"Well I'm going to talk to him, Robin." She says, already reaching for his phone.

"No...let's just drop it." He urges, taking his phone from her hands.

She furrows her brows, slightly shocked at his bluntness toward her about this. She just wants to help. She knows he's upset, he's so off. He'd never just grab the phone from her like that, never cut her off unless he's completely upset (like now), and most importantly (to Regina) he would _never _chew while talking. It's a fact of life, now.

That's why she let's him drop it. Why she drops it. Why she let's him have the phone back without a fight, why she continues her back rub on him, and why she stays silent for a few minutes. Curiosity keeps tapping at her brain, though, and she can't get rid of it. "Marian – what...happened to her?"

He seems taken aback by her sudden question. Eyes are wide and fixated on her, almost as if he's trying to decide if she's being sincere or just prying. "You mean how did she die?" He asks, sitting up a little straighter and stretching his legs out.

She nods, "Yes."

He tilts his head to the side, cracking his neck and replying, "I put her in harm's way."

Harm's way? What is he talking about? She hates how he's so un-detailed sometimes, just wishes he would spit it all out. "How?" She presses further.

She sees his slight irritation starting to go away, and she's happy for that. He puts off this odd aura and it makes the whole room gloomy when he's upset. Another deep breath and he replies, "We were walking home from the jail – where I had just gotten caught for being drunk and causing trouble – and this car came out of nowhere. It hit her going sixty-miles an hour. She was dead on the spot."

"Oh my gosh, Robin." Regina gasps, becoming a little louder. "I didn't...I had no idea. I'm sorry..."

He shakes his head, "That's why Frank hates drunks so much. Why he blames me for everything. Why he took Roland away...all of it. The driver was drunk, of course, and so was I when I got put in jail. Every stupid thing in my life originated from alcohol."

"Hey – no." She stops him, "Roland is a gift whether he was planned or not. He's such a little blessing to everyone, is he not?" She asks, and he nods guiltily. "Exactly. So not everything was totally bad."

Sighing, he nods and pushing his half-empty plate away. Another clue she to how she knows he's _really _upset. "Yeah, he is a gift. A gift that has to stay wrapped under the Christmas tree until certain days."

She shakes her head, "I hate being optimistic too, Robin, but you really have to start with this. You're not helping yourself any, you're hurting yourself a lot by not letting me talk to him. We're just going in circles and going and going, but this is something important and _that's _the only way he's ever going to trust you in the slightest."

The stubbornness is showing in the both of them, and now whoever will win will _only _win because they're more stubborn than the other. She waits for him to reply, but he never does. She simply scoots her chair back to her side and eats her lunch silently, peeping up at him every once in a while to see him still pouting. Or he would probably call it _in thought_, but to her it's pouting.

More silence passes before he decides to just get up, wrapping his plate up and sticking it in the refrigerator. She sighs, seeing his still-evident anger. "Are you coming to the apartment tonight?" She asks.

He nods as he leaves the room, "Yep, love you." He says simply, still angry even with her.

She growls and slams backward in her seat, crossing her arms over her stomach angrily. All she wants his to help him, and he just won't let her in. She's decided, now, who is more stubborn in this relationship – and it definitely isn't her.

**..**

…

Without Henry again tonight, the apartment seems somewhat quiet and almost dull. The awkwardness of this morning and the anger from lunch was looming around the couple the whole night, both of them staying at separate ends of the apartment to finish up the last pieces of the boxes. But they joined each other in bed again, and Robin decides to finally break the ice (and his little temper tantrum).

Holding her in his arms, body pressed against hers, he looks in her eyes and whispers, "I'm sorry for being an ass today." while rubbing his fingers through her hair.

She presses her lips together and shrugs, "I'm sorry for getting my period today." She mumbles, halfway audible for him to actually hear.

A long, awkward silence passes again before Robin speaks up, "Why _did _you get it?" He asks, "I mean, that's good...but forgive me since I don't know much about the female...system." He states, brushing his tongue over his lips.

She clears her throat, beginning to explain that even with the birth control, it's irregular and light but it still happens. Her breasts still ache and she still gets the cramps. As he's nodding, she wonders if he's actually letting any of it sink in. "Get it now?"

"Mm," He mumbles, "Does it feel better, to you, when I rub them, then?" He asks, being a little bit oblivious to _what _he wants to rub, but Regina finally catches on as she looks down to her bra.

"Oh..." She breathes, "I- Yes...it does. But Robin you don't have to, you did plenty for me today before all of that happened. Besides, I just want to go to sleep tonight. Okay?" She replies in a whispering voice, not wanting to say no but she knows she needs to decline.

He nods, kissing her lovingly, replying, "Okay." before kissing her again, but this time with much more passion than the last.

To Regina, it seems as though she's actually ready to move on from this apartment for the first time since the beginning of this whole fiasco of a move. She feels she's ready to let go and start over, start new and fresh. And it just so happens to be with this hunk. She just hopes it goes by quickly so she go ahead and start over, get the band-aid peeled back quickly and let Robin take care of her "wound".

And it does, Friday comes and goes faster than she thought it would, and they even slept on the floor in her bedroom. The apartment is completely empty, and there's really no point to sleep there tonight, but she wants to sleep with him one last time in here...and he agrees.

**..**

**...**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Thankfully the writer of the story I've been accused of copying has been very gracious and isn't mad at me. **

**I truly am not trying to copy BD, it's too amazing to even try to. I wouldn't screw it up like that...okay? So please, no more accusing me of that, because all it does it put me down in the dumps and make me not want to write.**

**Thank you!**

**G.**

**..**

**...**

Regina knows Robin's glad that his football game went well – _again. _She's very proud of Robin and all that he's done to turn that team around, and she knows he's pretty proud, himself.

When she wakes on Saturday morning not long after eight, she orders the last breakfast that she will ever have in this apartment. The last meal she'll ever have in here, actually, because today is officially moving day. She can't help but have a bit of a lament emotion tugging at her mind and heart, but she only expected to this past week. After all, this is new, big, and completely different from what she's done in the past.

She's never lived with any other man except Daniel before, and even their time together wasn't very long (only about eight months). She knows Robin will take care of her just as he has been so amazing to help her this past week, and she's pretty sure Henry will enjoy it there too. It may not have a loft for him, but he will have his own room there, too.

Robin's apartment is only slightly bigger than Regina's. His has three bedrooms instead of two, a small living room, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen area with a little table set. He doesn't have much of a dining space, but why would he need to? It's only two people eating there, whether those two are Robin and Regina or Robin and Roland.

That's one of the first things Regina plans on hinting towards: a new table, among an actual living room chair (not the beanbags) and a new faucet for the kitchen sink.

Which is another reason why she's ordering breakfast – pancakes with chocolate chips – because she wants to butter him up a little bit before she breaks _that_ news. And as she opens the door to greet the one-and-only breakfast delivery service she's ever found, her gray, silky robe following behind her everywhere, he's rubbing his eyes through the living room.

"Good morning." She coos, "Glad to see someone has finally woken up."

He's wearing his white tank (the one that he wore under his red polo last night at the football game) and boxers, complete with socks that came up to his calves. Well, one came up to his calf, the other was still lingering down around his ankle. He looks at her and murmurs, "Good morning." before leaning against the counter top where she's setting the boxes of pancakes down.

She takes the styrofoam box with four pancakes and places it on his plate, handing it to him along with the Aunt Jemima brand cup of syrup. "Did you sleep well last night?" She asks, placing the remaining, two smaller pancakes on the other plate for herself.

"Okay." He answers, "The floor didn't treat me well, but you always are a joy to sleep beside." He mumbles, heading to the living room floor to sit down and eat.

The lack of furniture was starting to get to them both, especially Regina, but she has to keep in mind that it'll all be over soon. Joining him, she sets her plate down in front of her and replies, "As well as you, dear." She breathes, handing him the set of plastic wear to eat with.

As he opens it, he finally registers what he's eating and looks up at her, "You ordered breakfast." He says with a smile, popping the fork prong through the plastic wrapping.

She nods and chuckles, glad he finally noticed and replying, "I did, seeing as how there's not exactly anything here to eat." while bringing a bite up to her lips, checking the temperature before sticking it in.

He nods, and she looks up slightly at him, watching him as he chews his food more proper than the first time she'd met him. She remembers that day very well, when she shared her spaghetti with him and got to know him for the first time. She smiles at the memory, trying to hide it from Robin with another bite of pancake.

"So," Robin starts out, finishing chewing, "Are you ready to be out today?"

"I'm ready for it to be over today." She replies.

Nodding, he answers, "I'm ready for you to move in with me today." with a dashing smile before looking down somewhat shyly, which was _not _Robin's typical personality.

She hadn't thought of it from his perspective yet, but she knows he must be happy about it. After all, he wouldn't have asked her to live with him if he wasn't ready for it. Right?

She has to admit, she's had her thoughts throughout this past week. _What if he just felt he needed to? What if they don't work out? What if it hinders him getting custody of Roland by having a woman living with him? _All of it ran through her head, but like always, she tried pushing it to the back. Clearing her throat, she messes with her piece of pancake a little by pushing it around with her fork. "So..." She starts out, pressing her lips together for a moment, "You're...okay with this. Right? Like...I didn't pressure you to let me move in with-"

"Regina!" He exclaims with a mouthful of pancake. Regina startles and raises her brows before he continues, "No...my gosh, no. I want you to live with me. Okay? This way I get to say goodnight to you in person every night before I go to sleep, I get to see your face every morning when I wake up. I get to help you with Henry and teach him how to play football...I get to do all of that. Not _have _to."

She nods, brushing her tongue over the outside of her molars, listening to his kind words. "Okay." She simply replies, not knowing what else to say. Somehow he always made her feel like that, like she doesn't know what to say half of the time when she's the one that usually helps people with what to say. He turns her upside down in so many ways, sometimes.

Huffing, he asks, "Okay?" mocking hers. She nods and he huffs a laugh again, "Okay. You've been reading too much of that..._Fault in Our Stars..._"

She bites her lip and shakes her head, not answering that one because she knows it's true. She finished the book last week and hasn't had the time to start a new one. She has a stinky feeling, though, that she's not _going _to have much free-time to read anymore.

**..**

…

After breakfast is over, they're packing up the very last box to put in the rented trailer, hooked up to her SUV.

She sighs as he picks the box up, "I'll go put this away real quick and be right back in. Okay?" He says, and she nods to let him go.

Folding her arms over her stomach and taking a step toward the loft, her eyes want to fill with tears. She fights it hard, but once she sees the kitchen again she can't help but let a tear fall out. She closes her eyes and lets her mind wander to baking cookies, to Henry dumping his cereal bowl, to _Emma _dumping _her _cereal bowl. It's all been so dysfunctional over the years but she couldn't have asked for more.

Then she turns more to see her bedroom, the place she and Robin made love. Well, one of the places. She lets a little laugh escape and shakes her head, but Robin's voice pulls her away from her thoughts. "Regina? You all ready?"

"Oh." She squeaks, looking back at him and blinking the tears away quickly. "Yeah, I'm just making sure we got everything." She states, looking around one last time. She can feel his eyes watch her from behind her, and she knows he's grinning. Just like he can put off a bad aura when he's upset, he can put off a good aura when he's happy or admiring something. In this case, someone. Because of that, she turns around and smiles, "I'm gonna miss it."

Robin walks to her and hugs her lovingly, "New chapter, lovely. That's what you have to remember, it's a brand new chapter in this beautiful book you've been writing."

She laughs and nods, closing her eyes. Her voice is muffled in his neck, "I've always wanted to write a book."

"You have?" He asks, a little bit of a shocked tone of voice as he pulls away, "Why have I never known this?"

Shrugging, she answers, "No one really does. But it's something I've always dreamed of doing."

"What kind of book?"

"The one with pictures, just for you baby." She says, using the moment to place her sarcasm in.

He rolls his eyes and gives her an unamused expression, "You're hilarious." He says, just as sarcastically, if not more. "I meant more along the lines of documentary, biography of your interesting life," He says, then gets a look from her, "A fiction...?"

"A fiction, thank you. Biography comes after my books." She says, almost like she'd just signed a deal with a publisher. "But it was just a dream. It's not like it could ever happen now, too late for me."

"I don't know, maybe not."

"Anyway, we have other things to do right now and it doesn't involve talking about my long-gone dreams." She says, getting them back on track and pulling away from him gently. "Everything's packed up, now we just gotta unpack at your place."

"Not right when we get there, love. I have other things I want to do before we get all hot and sweaty...like...get hot and sweaty." He smirks, "On my bed."

She huffs and acts like she's not impressed, but really, she is. "Hmmm, we'll see about that."

"Oh the only seeing that will be done is my eyes seeing you and yours vice-versa." He counters arrogantly, and she knows he's being like that because they're talking about sexual things. Even though they both know Mother Nature won't allow them to have sex today, they like teasing each other like this.

He takes her in his arms again and holds her tightly, making her feel a sense of being safe and being wanted – something she wasn't used to feeling even after a month of dating him. She sighs and kisses his jawline once, pulling away from him and patting his back instinctively. "Well, I guess I need to get out of here." She says, wanting it to preferably be _before _she breaks down and cries. He kisses her cheek and lays his arm on the small of her back, rubbing her belly with his fingertips, saying _okay _and walking toward the door with her. She gets to the doorway and looks back one last time through foggy eyes, smiling a sad and small smile before turning around, closing the door, and locking it. _For the very last time._

**..**

…

His warm hand is holding hers across the console in the car; the trip is mostly silent to his Sherwood Forest Apartments, the complex where he lives.

That is, until he breaks that welcomed silence, "You happy?" He asks out of the blue, still holding tightly onto her hand.

She looks at him for a moment, registering what he actually just asked and looking down again. She wasn't expecting any words, let alone those. "I...yeah. I am." She replies. She hadn't thought of the subject, actually, until now. She hadn't thought of her life from a bigger view, she'd just been going day-by-day. But as she sits and thinks a little more, she's convincing herself even more how happy she is. "I love this life." She admits, glancing at him again.

She sees his happy little grin being worn on his face, then she catches her own smile in the reflection of his window. She smiles even bigger, giving his hand a light, little squeeze before he replies, "Good." simply, and keeps driving on.

She can't help but wonder why the question suddenly popped into his mind, but she ignores her annoying thoughts in her head as they pull into the gates of the complex.

She looks around at the outside of her new home, the parking lot where his car is, the space where he's taken two spots just so his "baby" won't get scratched. She sees the kids playing on the playground and smiles to herself, knowing this'll be a great place for Henry.

Out of all the times she's been here, she's never really taken in how nice of a place this is, especially compared to _Royal Apartment's _place. She hadn't thought of the fact, either, of how expensive this place must be. Her mind wanders as they circle around to get a closer parking spot, wondering how he can afford the nice car, the nice apartments, and only be a school teacher.

So she asks the daring question right as they've parked, "How do you afford all of this?"

He looks at her the same way she did to him earlier, with wide but soft eyes, a raised brow, and slightly parted lips. "I, ah..." He stutters, and Regina can tell he's wanting to avoid this answer. But she doesn't let up, asking again and getting his full attention this time. "It's a long story, really."

"I have plenty of time." She counters, opening the back door to the trailer to start unloading her boxes. "And it sounds like you're wanting to avoid the subject. What are you, some kind of drug dealer?" She asks, being playful and sarcastic.

He huffs a laugh and shakes his head, picking up a heavy box with ease. "If I were a drug dealer, I'd have my Mustang detailed and live in a much nicer place." He states.

She picks up a lighter box than he got, even though it made her feel somewhat domestic. Like she couldn't handle as much as he could, but she tried the other, more heavy box, and that just didn't work. "Okay, so you're not a drug dealer/teacher. How are you so...not poor?"

Another huffing laugh emits from him as he closes the trailer door so no one will take anything, "Well, I told you I wasn't the best person in my younger days. But, I also told you that Marian died. We were never married, but in her will, she left me a whole slew of money." He explains, making Regina's brow furrow again.

She wouldn't say she was _jealous _of Marian, Robin's dead ex-girlfriend, but in a way she kind of is. She's jealous of the Robin that Marian knew, not for the reason that he was a "bad boy", but because _she _knew his past and Regina didn't. Doesn't. And Robin doesn't like talking about it, but Regina feels left out. Like the last kid to be chosen on the playground.

So she makes her way after him, heading to his ground-floor apartment. "How did she have money?"

"Parents." He answers shortly, digging for the key in his pocket while trying to balance the large box on his chest, bending backwards a little and contorting his face in pain.

She sighs and shifts her weight all to one leg, "And they just gave it to her?"

"Yes, her twenty-first birthday." He states, finally finding his key and pushing it into the doorknob, turning it until it clicked and the door opens. "If only her parents had known what all she was doing at twenty-one, they wouldn't have given it to her. Marian was raised as a perfect child, much like I was, and decided to rebel...but secretly. Me? I left my family and cut all ties with them. But she had no reason to do that, it would be stupid if she did." He explains, finally going into more detail about his past.

She knows it's hard to get out of him, so that's why she doesn't try to outwardly push him, she lets him talk until he slips it out. "Oh, I see. So...her parents are rich?"

He nods, "How do you think they won in court?" He asks, "The town knows them all, the judge sucks up to them so badly..."

"That isn't right, Robin." Regina fumes, immediately ticked over the subject of his son. "You should be able to have a trial here."

He nods, answering, "I should be, but the court has said no. I have to wait a while before I try again, or they can say they want another one. But I doubt that will happen." and putting the box down on the living room floor. "Besides, maybe it's for the best. As much as I love my son, and as much as I adore spending time with him, I don't know how to be a good father."

Regina huffs, feeling like he's really just not trying hard enough to get Roland back. Then again, if she was told over and over that she's a bad parent and if she had a past like his...she could understand. "No one knows how to be a good parent until you really get the chance to be one, Robin. No one." She says, setting her box down on his couch, "You need to stand up for yourself, be assertive, and if they don't like it, they can talk to me."

"You?" He asks, raising a brow as he turns to look at her, asking, "And what can you do about it?"

Sighing, she looks down her arm and clenches her teeth. "I have rich parents too." She admits, "I just don't take any of the money they – well, he – offers me. My dad is a lawyer and my mom? She's Senator Mills, the US senator of New York." She explains, almost sounding guilty about her parents.

His expression changes, and she notices how hurt he seems. "So you're telling me you've lived in that sketchy apartment complex all this time when you could've just taken their help?"

"It's not that easy, Robin. I cut off all of _my _ties too by being with someone I loved. Just like you. I have to go and visit now and then, but I do it so Henry still sees his family." She argues, becoming defensive over herself like she wants _him _to be for _himself. _But for now, she wants to get this conversation back on track. "Now, why did she leave you the money?"

"Not important." He answers, walking out of his door.

She stands there and watches him, fuming and bubbling angrily. Why wouldn't he just _tell _her? She hates secrets and she hates when people keep things from her, especially people she cares about. She just stays in place with her fists clenched, looking out the door and waiting for him to come back in. She gets so frustrated and she knows that he knows it too. It's like he enjoys watching her writhe over being clueless of his past. She'll get it out of him one day, but for now he'll remain a halfway-peeled onion.

One layer at a time.

"Fine. If you don't want to tell me, that's your business, but I really hope you know how much it hurts me to know you keep stuff from me." She answers, walking out of the door to the trailer.

She can hear him huff, making it known that he is irritated. "Like you kept the fact that your mom was a US Senator? Yeah." He states angrily, picking up another heavy box like it was nothing.

**..**

…

The rest of the day was relatively uncomfortable for the both of them. Neither said many words to each other, and when Emma arrived with Henry, Regina began making dinner.

"Robin, where's the garlic?" She asks, looking up in his cabinets and lack of supplies, needing garlic powder for her hamburgers she was cooking on the stove top. He doesn't answer, so she repeats her question with a little more irritation in her voice. "Robin?"

She hears his feet shuffling into the kitchen behind her, replying, "I don't have any." before leaning against the countertop with his elbows supporting him.

She almost slams the cupboard shut as Henry walks in, "Mommy?" He asks in a gentle voice, "Can you help me with some homework, please? I wanted to do it today so I could play tomorrow..." He says. She smiles at his thought-through planning (something he took after her, most definitely). But she has a dilemma, and now an even bigger one since Robin doesn't have garlic.

"Not right at this moment, sweetie. I need to find something to cook with these burgers for dinner." She says in a gentle, yet, still, somewhat irritated tone.

Robin stands up straight as she's turning around toward the refrigerator, declaring, "I'll help him." and turning to Henry. He asks, "What is it you need?" as he's walking to the living room ahead of the boy.

Henry rushes in and sits down on the bean-bag chair, digging through his open backpack and finding what seems to be a sketch book. Regina turns away, now, and tends to her entree that now has no garlic, but substituted for bar-b-que sauce and sauteed in that. She listens to their conversation, though, always being the protective mother with Henry.

"I really like my new art class, my new teacher is awesome. And she's taught me a lot, and I have this drawing." _Pause. _He must be getting his book out or something. Then he speaks again after Robin murmurs that it's great. "It's for mom. But I don't want her to see it, because it's for Christmas."

"Henry, that's...that's amazing." Robin says, and Regina can tell it's genuine. It's not the kind of _congratulations _that you give for normal art done by ten-year-olds. It makes Regina curious, makes her want to casually walk into the living room and see what he's done. Whether it's a drawing, a painting...a drawing. He'd said that already. "I didn't know you could draw." Robin continues.

"I always liked to. But kids at school made fun of me for it last year, the older kids did. They said it wasn't something boys did." He says, and she can hear his tone of happiness dip down like a cloud of grey had just floated over him. Truthfully, Regina didn't know he could draw, either. He must hide them, and she wonders where, now. "I've always hid them under my bed so my mom wouldn't see them."

That answers her question. Next one? _Why is he hiding them?_

She hears another pause, but she can't determine why there's silence (mostly because of the searing of beef in the pan in front of her). Finally, Robin replies, "Big kids don't know it all, Henry. Why would you want to hide them? They're beautiful." and she hears the swooshes of paper.

Again, she feels an actual twinge of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. Apparently, today must be a day for her to get jealous, because so far everything Robin has said has made her feel that way. Henry is sharing his drawings with _him. _Marian gave her money to _him. _She knows it's ridiculous, childish to feel this way under these circumstances, but she can't help it again. She misses reading to her little boy, being the one to take him places, the one to play with him on the playground. She feels replaced, unneeded, and used. A stage of being a mother, she hopes.

"I just didn't want anyone to see them." Henry answers in a small voice, and she can almost imagine him fumbling around with his fingers like he does sometimes.

"So why did you show them to me, then?" Robin asks in a curious tone, Regina stops making the beef move around by laying her spatula down beside the stove.

Another silence. _Damn this silence. _"I don't know...I just thought...I kind of...you're the closest boy to me." Henry's soft voice squeaks, and it makes Regina have to close her eyes for a moment.

"You need to show these to your mother." Robin says, his voice is heavily distracted, though, she can tell.

She flips the burger over and it makes another loud whooshing noise as the grease hits the pan, the BBQ smell radiating through the kitchen. Because of the noise, though, she misses part of Henry's answer. "...and she I don't think she likes spending time with me anymore." is all she hears.

Immediately, her fingers loosen from around the spatula, her heart sinks to her toes, and her mouth parts open as she tries to fight back tears. He thinks she doesn't want to be around him. He thinks she's lost interest in him. And she can't help but blame herself since she's spent so much time with Robin lately.

"You're her favorite, Henry." Robin replies as Regina leans against the counter, still in awe that he said that. "She loves seeing your face every day."

"She doesn't seem like it sometimes."

Robin stays quiet this time. Regina wonders why...maybe because he knows _he's _the one taking the time from Henry? Or maybe he agrees with the boy...maybe she really has been mistreating Henry lately. Nonetheless, the silence makes her uncomfortable because Robin hasn't answered her boy yet.

Thankfully, Henry breaks the silence. "Do you like my mom?" He asks, again, making Regina's heart sink. She puts her head forward into her hands, not even remembering the burgers at this point.

Another long silence, but Robin doesn't answer. It makes her feel really uncomfortable, really upset, actually. She just moved in with this man and now he's contemplating if he likes her or not? After confessing their love for each other not _that _long ago? Her sunken heart is now breaking slowly.

"Are you and her fighting right now?" Henry asks again, since Robin hasn't answered the other question.

She hears a bean-bag chair move, and it must be Robin. She can almost see him shifting uncomfortably, "We're just a little upset with each other, that's all. It doesn't mean I don't still love her." He replies, and Regina can _finally _breathe again after those last few words.

"Oh. You love my mom?"

"Very much so, my boy." Robin replies, and Regina wonders why he couldn't have said it the first time instead of making her want to cry. And then rip his heart out. And then cry some more.

By now, the burgers on smoking from how overly done they are. Regina rushes to the stove and quickly turns the heat off, taking the handle of the skillet and bringing it away from the burner. But to her dismay, they're burnt. Literally, charred.

She sets the smoking pan down on the other burner, the cool one, and does the walk of shame into the living room while removing the apron over her head. "Let's go out for pizza."

**..**

…

The mishap with the burgers, the lack of love words from Robin, the hurtful words from Henry, and the harsher words _with _Robin all had her shaken up the whole night. She couldn't sleep restfully, and of course she didn't want to wake Robin up. Looking up at the ceiling at 4:30 AM, she can't help but remember the day Daniel died for some reason.

"_Oh goodness, my little Henry." She cooed over her newborn son, holding him right up against her chest the whole time. "You're going to be so happy to meet your grandma and grandpa, your daddy's mommy and daddy." She said, absolutely gushing over Henry._

_The door opened abruptly, normally the nurses knocked. The nurse was shaking as she said, "Ms. Mills...we...we have some news that isn't good." and paused, heaving a heavy sigh and a loud exhale. "With my greatest, __**greatest**__, condolences, it is with sadness that I say Daniel Stableman has passed away in a horrible car accident."_

_Regina just stared at her, wondering if it was some cruel, sick joke someone was playing on her. But when the nurse started tearing up, Regina realized it was true. Her love, her newborn's father...he's dead. "No...no!" She shouted, making Henry get fussy and upset._

_Another nurse quickly came to take Henry so nothing would happen to him, and the other nurse continued trying to talk to Regina for hours before she'd just asked to see her son._

With another toss and turn, she feels Robin's steady hand on her hip and opens her eyes. "Come here." He murmurs, scooting her closer with just his hand.

She obliges, letting him move her and snuggles up into his chest. "Sorry I woke you." She whispers, not looking into his eyes; closing them so he won't see how red they are.

"Rough night?"

"Daniel."

There's a silence, and she wonders if he's fallen asleep. His hand moves against her hip lovingly, though, and he answers, "Nightmares?"

"Not really."

Though their dialogue is all short, but they're getting the point across for each other. By the end of the story, Regina is completely glued against him with her head tucked into his chest, her arm between the, and her other arm under her.

"Daniel will always be apart of this family, Regina. We – I can't ever take that away from either of you." He states, now running his fingers through her tussled and sweaty hair. "I can't ever replace him, like I've said many times. But I want to be there in that spot, helping, loving, and caring for you both. I love him like my own, and I always will now."

Her eyes are focused on his the whole time, but it wasn't until the last sentence that she starts tearing up. "Daniel would be so glad to know you're here." She breathes, shutting her eyes and letting a tear fall down her soft cheek.

Her statement is true, Daniel _would _be overjoyed that Regina is happy, that Henry has someone to throw the ball for him, that Regina can sleep with someone beside her that she trusts and knows will be there for her, and that Henry will always have a man to show him how to be...well, a man...no matter what.

But that's the part that makes her tear up, "Why do we always have to keep secrets from each other?" She whispers after the short silence, hoping he won't get mad or annoyed since he's half-asleep still.

More silence. She hates silence already but all of it lately has really pissed her off. He's biting at the inside of his cheek before asking, "What secrets?" (Clearly this is his lame attempt at buying time). She tells him what she wants to know, about Marian and why she gave him the money. His reply isn't what she's wanting, "Because she loved me."

And it makes her shake her head, "And you loved her?" She whispers, already hurting inside.

After a long sigh and a heavy breath in, he replies, "Not really. I led her on to think that." and starts stroking her hair again.

She shakes her head, "So how can I trust that you're not just leading me on? That I'm just...I'm just your..." She tries to think of a more appropriate word to use, but fails at the job. "Your fuckbuddy? Is that all I am? And now it's even _more_ convenient because I sleep in your house?" She asks, and it makes her chest feel like it's caving in.

"No." He simply replies, stopping his strokes through her hair. "I actually do love you, and I never invited Marian to live with me like I did you. Regina, if you think I'm using you, why don't we stop for a while? The sex...just to show you that I really love you and really wanted you here." He suggests, cupping her cheek now.

She thinks about it for a moment, thinks about just being a couple who hasn't slept together and won't be for a while, then nods. "Just for a week." She says, not wanting to go _too _long, she enjoyed the sex as much as he did.

She's glad they agree on it, and not long after that they say their goodnights, and an extra _I love you_ from each of them before a goodnight kiss is placed on each other's lips.

**..**

…

Sunday goes by much better. They have a lazy day together after Regina takes Henry to _another _friend's house. She realizes he's growing up, and she knows she needs to let him have these opportunities while they last. And that's the _only _reason she keeps letting him leave so often.

"We need groceries." She says, the movie _Miss Congeniality _finishing on the television. But she's so comfortable in his arms, it makes her pout a little at her own words.

He nods, mutters something about how comfy he is, and she agrees with his statement. "But I do suppose if I want to eat I need to supply the groceries."

"We." She corrects, "I'm not just going to live here for free. We can split all the rent, the groceries, and the cable and whatever else." She states, not letting him get by with that. "I'm not incapable of taking care of myself."

"I know that, but I'm more capable." He teases, kissing her on the head before getting up. He takes the keys to his car, but she takes them from his hand and lays them on the table again.

"No."

"Yes. It fits groceries just fine." He argues, not wanting to take _her _car again.

"Fine." She says, not wanting to argue about silly things such as which car to take. Before she walks out to the car, she grabs her wallet and purse, stuffing the one inside the other and walking out after him. She gets inside of his car that he already has turned on, loud and booming of course, and immediately turns the radio down. "Sorry, headache."

He nods as if saying, _it's okay_ and drives off to the store.

Once they get there, he takes a cart out of the line for her and rolls it in front of her. She smiles as a thank you and puts her purse inside of the baby carrier part. He smirks and looks down, commenting, "Cute baby." before rubbing her back and laughing a little.

"She is, isn't she?" She coos in a playful manner, matching his tone and pushing the cart into the grocery section first, hitting the bakery part of it for some pre-made dough (she knows how much her boys love their pizza, and she has a new recipe she has been wanting to try).

"She?" He asks, gazing over the chocolate cakes and cheesecakes and cookies and...mmmm. "I could've sworn it was a boy."

She cranes her neck a little to see him over her shoulder, giving him a look that he has gotten to know _very _well. "I want a girl."

He raises his brow, "You want more kids?" and she shrugs.

Her reply is quick as she starts walking to the deli for some lunch meat, "One day, yes." and orders a half-pound of ham for Robin's lunches this week. "Don't you?" She asks, leaning her triceps on the cart handle while she waits for her number to flash up on the automated screen behind the counter.

He thinks about it for a moment, then bites gently at the inside of his cheek, "I never really got a good try at being a father, so yes. I never thought much about it, but I _would_ like a second chance."

The smile she wears brightens the whole store, "Good." She simply replies, turning away and biting her lip so he doesn't see her do so. She grips the cart with the one hand that's resting there, waiting for her baggy of ham.

A half-pound of ham, half-pound of roast beef, a pound of American cheese and a pound of provolone later, they're heading to the produce section. Of course, _him _being _himself_, he's picking up to oranges and bringing them to his pectoral muscles. He waves his chest around and sticks it out, making it look like he has breasts. Very round, very orange, and very...textured...breasts.

Snickering, she shakes her head, feeling her face redden because of him. "I'm not into women, dear." She taunts, attempting to hide her clear embarrassment over this...this _man _with oranges for boobs. She's not doing a great job of it, especially now.

His next actions have her face completely red. He sticks the oranges in his shirt and tightens it around his chest so that they don't fall out, "Don't they call these...what are they? _Man boobs?"_

"Robin!" She wails, pushing her cart to the next aisle of fruit and veggies to try and not be seen with him. She can still see him, unfortunately, over the boxes of apples.

His smirk grows, a smug grin is now on his face as he raises a brow toward her, keeping his head tilted forward still. "Don't you want to squeeze?" He continues, sticking them way out and making an overly seductive face (but in reality, let's face it...it was about as seductive as a five-year old trying to woo a young girl his age).

She sighs and tries not to laugh again, knowing the more she laughs the more he'll do it. Her laughs are like a fuel to his funny fire. "Get over here...you're worse than my ten-year-old." She complains, turning away to laugh quietly (_still _making a failing effort of trying not to).

He finally lets them drop from his shirt, catches them in his hands, and puts them in a bag instead of putting them back in the crate. "I like oranges."

"You?" Regina asks, raising her brows in surprise, "You like something..." She pauses to gasp, "_Healthy?!" _and places her hand over her chest as though her heart is about to beat out of it. "Robin Hubert Locksley likes something _healthy?" _She continues, still shocked but being playful now.

"Yes, dear." He counters, squinting his eyes as he lays the bag inside the cart and shakes it by its side a little to jar her. "And don't call me by my middle name, it's such an embarrassment."

She raises her brows again and pushes the cart to the vegetable aisle, "_I'm _being embarrassing? This coming from the man who just stuck oranges in his shirt to give him boobs? I don't think I fit in that category, Robin Hubert." She's cooing as she's stopping at the next place.

"Stop!" He hisses, looking around in case someone heard. "I have a reputation to uphold." He whispers, following her closely as she reaches for some broccoli.

"What reputation?" She asks, putting the bag of "green trees" as Henry calls them into her cart.

As she's reaching for the cucumbers, her mind is buzzing and she smiles maniacally, a little bit deviously, looking up and around to make sure no one was near them. "You know, my tough, football coach, side-barfly, badass Mustang driver one."

Huffing, she asks, "Tough?" whilte bringing the cucumber to just below her stomach, sliding it down a little and gripping her fingers tightly around it. She turns to him and he gasps when he sees it, "Mmm...Regina..." She whispers, mocking him and making sure no one heard.

He looks down with wide eyes when he sees what exactly she's doing, "Regina! Put it...down!" He snarls quietly, grabbing the cucumber that she's using inappropriately, moving her hips forward and backward subtly.

Her fingers don't loosen around it, she's not letting go of the cucumber yet. It's not enough embarrassment for him. She tries moaning, "Mmmm..." as she laughs but it comes out more of a laugh. "You like grabbing hard and thick things, Robin?" She teases him, knowing he'll get annoyed with her.

He snatches it from her hand, "Fine...you got back at me." He says as he puts the cucumber in the bag and quickly throws it in the cart. "_But _just for you information, I do like to touch things hard and thick. Grab them, actually. It. _Mine _to fill _you._" He whispers the last part up in her ear. _Plan: backfired._

Shuddering, she narrows her eyes to him and rolls the cart backwards to it rolls over his foot. "Oops." She coos, pushing it on toward the cheeses and such with a proud little skip in her step (but not too obvious. After all, _she _has a reputation to uphold too, and hers is more legitimate than his). "Now that we're even, why don't you reach up there and give me a bag of _Kraft _shredded cheddar, please?" She asks, looking down at her list and crossing the things she'd just gotten off, then bending over to get a block of mozzarella for lasagna later in the week.

He doesn't move, he has his hands folded below his stomach. "I don't think that's a good idea." He says.

She looks back at him and sees where his hands are, and the corners of her mouth pull up into a grin, "Well...we agreed on no sex." She whispers, thankfully no one is next to them. "So I'd say you better just take the embarrassment and give me some cheese. At least, if you want soft tacos tomorrow night." She coos, pushing the cart again down the first aisle.

Growling, he looks up at the cheese but still doesn't move. He's debating, counting his odds at how mad she'd get if he didn't get it. But after a moment of standing there and seeing her halfway down the other aisle, he quickly jerks up with one hand and grabs the cheese, bringing his hand back down just as quickly and rushing to her to throw it in the cart.

**..**

…

"Regina? Regina, lovely...it's time to go to work." He whispers on a bright Monday morning, and normally it's the other way around. She usually has to wake _him _up in the mornings.

When she finally opens her eyes, she realizes they must be horribly late since _he's _waking her up. "Oh no!" She cries, shooting up in bed. She rubs her eyes frantically and flings herself off of the mattress and out of the covers, rushing to the closet only to come back out no more than five seconds later to go to the bathroom instead. "I'm going to be late on my first day as principal. Henry will be late to school...no. No, no, no!" She shouts as she's sitting on the toilet.

He's snickering, letting this go on for a little while just for paybacks for what she made him to yesterday. He stays silent, but gets up and goes to Henry's room to wake him up. Once he's up, he comes back into the room to see Regina half-naked in the closet.

"I don't even know what to wear!" She says frenziedly, her makeup done in a more natural way than usual because she thinks she's running late. She looks at Robin and huffs, "Why are you not ready yet, Robin? You know that if you're riding with me to school that we are _not _going to be late!" She snaps, flying her hands through all of her clothes in the closet.

"Regina, have you checked the time?" He asks, walking to the closet and crossing his arms over each other as he leans against the doorframe.

She hasn't, she suddenly realizes. She huffs again and jerks his arm toward her, checking his watch. Growling, "Damn you, Robin." while she slaps him on the chest once, seeing that she's on time. "Why did you do this?"

"I haven't done a thing, it was you who thought you were late." He says calmly, and she's not in the mood for his calm, cool, collected self.

So she takes a hanger and throws it at him, "And you couldn't have told me?"

"No, I enjoyed your little hissy entirely too much to let it stop so soon." He coos, bubbly and smiling as she slaps him lightly again on the chest.

To Robin, there wasn't much more to turn him on immediately than a woman in all lingerie slapping him while angry – _at him_. In his eyes, angry sex is almost the best sex. But that deal got in the way of that, and she knows he'll uphold his words.

"You're hilarious, really." She says sarcastically, pushing past him and walking out to put her robe around her. She goes into the kitchen and gets her cereal, his cereal, and Henry's cereal, three bowls, and the gallon of milk.

He's shuffling in not long after her, and he pours the milk for her once the cereal has filled the bowls. "Anyway, good morning, my love." He coos before placing a kiss on her rosy cheek, hugging her with one arm and letting her go again.

"Good morning..." She coos, liking the sound of being able to say that to him. "I could so get used to this...living here with you."

He smiles as he brings two bowls to the small table, sitting down and sticking a spoon in. "Good, because I always hoped you would."

**..**

…

Her smile is overly wide and ecstatic as she walks in her _new _office, not even decorated yet. She meant to do that yesterday, but got caught up in a fierce game of Monopoly with Robin, Henry, Emma and her boyfriend Neal, that accidentally lasted until after his bed time. So for now, it's bare and dull but _new _and_ exciting _to her.

She walks in further and sets her bag down on the desk, perfected with a plaque that says _Principal Mills._ She wishes that it could just say Regina instead of Mills like she tells her class, but unfortunately Superintendent Belle said no to that.

Just as she sits down, she hears a knock at her door. She fixes her blazer and looks up, "Come in." She calls out, waiting for whoever is at the door.

A bubbly expression is worn on Mary-Margaret as she walks through the door, "Hey Regina!" She says happily (a little too happily for Regina as always, but she takes it easier today since she, also, is happy). She strides to her desk in short and choppy steps, holding a stack of papers in her arms. "I'm officially your new assistant, as well as secretary. So I just wanted to come in and ask if you needed anything for the day?"

Regina smiles, not realizing she would now have an assistant. "Oh, no one told me you were helping me. I think I'm good for now, actually, but I would like to have some coffee maybe?" She asks nicely, still keeping a small smile the whole time.

The short-haired woman nods, asks her how she likes her coffee, and walks off into the adjoining lunch room.

Regina organizes a few things on her desk such as pens and notebooks, pulling out a picture of Henry and setting it down on the corner. "Perfect." She whispers to herself before seeing a cup of coffee being set down beside her arm.

"Here you are, Principal Mills. I hope it's okay." A nervous Mary-Margaret squeaks out as she walks to the front of her desk.

She smiles up at the woman and then takes a drink of the piping hot coffee, "That's just right, thank you." She says as she sets it down and looks at her watch. She bites her lip, muttering something about how she's going to be late and reaches down to dig through her purse for her thermos, pouring the coffee into that so she can get to her class.

"You're the only principal that I've worked for that still teaches a class. Why do you do that?" She asks quietly, tilting her head in a curious manner.

Regina looks down and furrows her brows, "I appreciate my class, I always have. Without the Literature classes, past and present, I wouldn't be here. I owe them, so I teach them."

Her response makes the younger woman smile again, "That's great, not many enjoy teaching."

She nods, feeling herself blush a little. "Anyway..." She blurts out, ready for a change of subject to _not _talk about her. "I have to get going, thank you for the coffee, Miss Blanchard, and you really don't have to call me Principal Mills, just Regina, please." She reminds her as she walks out of the door and down toward her classroom. She gets stopped by a handsome man, taller, muscular, but not as tall and muscular as Robin.

"Hey, Principal Mills." He says, his flannel shirt a little crooked over his gray tank. "I just...I saw you were talking to Mary-Margaret."

She nods, raising her brows as she replies, "Yes, I was." and looks at him with a slight tilt of her head, "You're David, right? David Nolan...the janitor?"

He nods and smiles a little embarrassed, "Yes...good ol' janitor." He replies, leaning against the wall and trying to be casual.

She laughs a little and looks back toward her office, "Why did you want to know about Mary-Margaret?"

"Are...are youtwo pretty good friends?" He asks, making Regina think for a moment.

She can tell by his nervousness, his slight brow sweat (not from working, yet), that he's got a little crush on the other woman. "I wouldn't say we're close, but we've known each other a long time. Why? Are you wanting to know if she's single?"

His nervous expression turns into a nervous, smiling expression. "Maybe? Is it bad if-"

"It's not a bad thing. And yes, as far as I know she is very much so. But I really have to get going, I don't want to be late to my class. Good luck, David. She's a real sweet one." She says, making the conversation short and walks off.

As she's walking, she smiles at the thought of a new love blossoming. Before she met Robin, before she started dating him, the thought of _blossoming love _would've made her sick. But now when she thinks about it, all her mind wanders to is when Robin told her he loved her for the first time. Because of this, while she's walking into class, she's smirking to herself and is completely oblivious to everything in the room.

"_CONGRATULATIONS!" _Her whole class shouts, startling her and making her jolt a little.

She looks up to see a banner across the outside wall with the words _congrats principal Regina, _and she smiles finally. "You are all just too sweet, thank you." She coos, walking in to see balloons tied to her chair. "You did all of this?" She asks, turning to her class again

Heads nod and mutters of _yes _go through the room. It makes her heart warm up more and more with everything she sees. "You've turned this class around, and you're really the best teacher we've had." A girl named Heather says from the back, and Regina's smile grows even bigger because she knows how shy this young girl is.

"I don't deserve this, but thank you all so much."

"Of course, we had _some _help from coach Locksley..." Patty says from the front, smiling a little and winking.

Regina gasps playfully, "Shh, you could get me in trouble with the principal." She states, raising both brows in a playfully warning manner.

**..**

…

"Knock knock..." She hears only a second after a knock echoed on her office door. She gets up and smiles as she opens the door, letting Robin in. He has their lunch in his hands, two sandwiches, "A ham and a roast beef sandwich for each of us. Is it okay if we eat in here?"

She nods, smiling proudly of her new place. "Indeed it is, go pull up a chair to my desk." She says as she turns to the desk again, scooting her chair up as he scoots one up as well. "I'm kind of in love with my new office."

"Oh, a new love?" He taunts, getting her sandwich from the Ziploc bag, setting it down on the paper plate he'd brought in for her. "I feel replaced."

She rolls her eyes, replying, "No...just a side-love." and sliding her plate in front of her and taking a bite of the delicious ham and provolone sandwich, slathered with lite mayonnaise. "Besides, you get to share it with me." She says with a smile.

He nods, taking a bite of his roast beef sandwich, "That's very true, it's like a threesome."

"Robin!" She immediately yelps, giving him a look as she chews her food (mouth closed, tightly, like always). "So not appropriate!"

He shrugs as if it were the most normal thing in the world to say, "It's true. Your two loves..."

"Still not appropriate." She reprimands, not impressed by his behavior. "But it was funny..." She mutters and smiles up at him over her bread and fingers.

He smiles, muttering something about how he's a funny person and he's never thought of himself as a threesome man anyway. "How do you like your new job?" He asks, finishing his sandwich and leaning his arms against the table, waiting curiously for her answer.

This is (and has always been, since the first day they were together when they ate lunch) something that she's always admired about him: his listening skills. The way he _wants _to learn more about her, and she always did the same for him, too. They're always learning new things about each other, and it keeps it real and genuine, and they know that's how it works.

"I haven't gotten to do much principal stuff yet..." She replies, finishing her sandwich now, too, and adding, "But I'm going to be doing that after this."

He nods slowly, taking it in. "Well then, should I let you get to it or would you like me to sit and talk for a while? My next class isn't until 1:30, and then all I have after that is soccer tryouts. Then, I'll just wait for you..."

She tells him that she'd like him to stay for a little while longer before she has to work, that she just wants to talk to him for a little. She ends up getting on the subject of her parents again, and that's when Robin's smile brightens a little.

"I was going to wait to tell you until later, but now that you've brought it up I just can't wait any longer." He says, biting at his bottom lip, "Frank called me and said I get Roland this weekend, I get to pick him up at his pre-school on Friday." He gushes, almost dancing in his seat as he tells her the exciting news.

Reaching out for his hand, she smiles widely and squeezes it, nodding and saying, "I'm so happy for you, Robin. And I, for one, can't wait to see the little rascal. What time do we leave?"

"Four, if that's okay?"

"I can get my work done before...it's no problem." She says, thinking ahead on her work. "Is he excited?"

"He doesn't even know." Robin replies, still smiling widely and fiddling his fingers excitedly. "It'll be a _complete _surprise for him, and I'm so happy for that."

Her smile is big, happy, and proud of her boyfriend. "I'll see you later, Robin." She whispers, getting up and leaning over the desk to give him a quick peck on the lips.

He smiles, says his goodbyes, and tells her he'll be waiting for her by her office later.

**..**

…

The rest of Monday goes by quickly yet again. Tuesday and Wednesday both go by quicker than wanted, for Regina, but quick enough for Robin. He was overly ecstatic about his little boy coming back, but for _some _reason Regina just wasn't as happy. She couldn't figure out why, but she hates herself for not being as happy as he.

Understanding why or not, she knows she needs to be happier for Robin. By Thursday night, she thinks she's figured it out, she thinks she knows why.

She's sitting on the couch snuggled up to him, Henry has been in bed for about a half an hour. "Let me talk to Frank." She says again, completely out of the blue to him. "He needs to give you another chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, and you know that as well as I do."

He looks over at her, a saddened expression worn on his face again. "I thought we've already been through this?"

She nods, answering, "Yes." and "I'm not happy with the way it turned out last time. You need to stand up for yourself for what you want."

He sighs, arguing with her some more. She knows he wants his son with him, it's something he's desired forever. But she can't understand why he won't just ask, it isn't _that _hard. "I don't want you talking to him, I already told you that."

"Fine." She snaps, not wanting to argue. "Forget I said it."

The room is silent until he gets up and goes to bed, and she tells him she'll be there soon. She gets up and heads to the kitchen, to the spot on the counter where Robin lays his wallet, his keys, and most importantly – his phone.

Her breath is shaky, knowing she shouldn't be snooping but also knowing this is the only way to get anywhere. She takes his phone out, looking through his contacts for Roland's grandfather. Once she finds it, she puts it in her own phone and locks his phone back into its original state. She sighs, already feeling a little guilty but she has to remind herself that it's better in the long run.

**..**

**...**

**Uh oh, naughty Regina...**

**Please remember to leave feedback! Just be nice with your constructive criticism, please :)**


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: I had this huge thing written out thanking outlawqueenluvr and especially thekrissymaddie (both on tumblr) for their help but FF decided to be a total meanie and post oddly. So if you're getting the story notification twice, you're not going crazy, FF is. Lol_

_Anyway, long story short, check my tumblr out at onceuponmakeup and drop me some (more detailed, please) reviews after the chapter on here. I really appreciate them!_

_And Merry Christmas!_

**_.._**

**_..._**

_Meet me the vending machine near ur office precisely 4. Running late and frank is mad._

That's the text Regina is staring down at in her office right now. She hates that he's running late, because she knows Frank already thinks he isn't doing a good job as a father and knows that Frank is not going to let this go by any means. They still have to travel three hours to meet him at the state line, even though his original plans were to drive all the way to Ybor City to get Roland. She knows he's upset, she knows he's just wanting to see his son, and she knows he needs to get out of this school.

But Regina had to make him do it, otherwise they'd both get fired. She had to make him finish his paperwork, and she tried to help but he insisted that he wasn't going to use her like that. She tried to tell him it wasn't using her, that she's just trying to help him out so Frank won't get mad, but he cut her short and said he needed to get started.

The board was on her, _her, _for something that Tamara was doing (or in this case, _not _doing). She had not given out the papers for each teacher to fill out, and that includes Regina, and now the board is getting onto the new principal. The _new _one. You know, the one that had nothing to do with it prior to this past Monday.

Nonetheless, she handed out the papers for everyone to fill out, including herself and unfortunately including Robin, all to be finished by the time she leaves the school. His is now the only one she's waiting for, so she decides to lock up her office after she gets her things, and will slide the papers under her door once he gives them to her. And then the waiting from 3:30 to 4:00 begins.

She's leaned against the vending machine, lightly tapping the back of her suede high heel into the side while scrolling down through her Twitter feed. She sees all the tweets from a family-friend's son, Peter, about how he's broken up with his girlfriend Wendy. Regina counts it in her head, and she's pretty sure that this is the third time they've "broken up". They never stay away from each other long, it's like it was destined for them to be together. Then she gets to the "mom" part of her feed, where she sees that the sorcerer's hat at Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios is being taken out. She retweets it to show Henry later, although she's sure he'll go on a rant about it for who knows how long.

A few tweets from clothing stores, a few new recipes she wants to try, and nothing from Robin. _He's never on Twitter, _she thinks to herself. She wonders why, but is pulled from her thoughts when she hears heavy and quick footsteps rushing along the hall. "Regina! I'm sorry I'm so late...Frank is so mad." He says, handing her the paperwork before she slips it under the door, giving it a strong push so it makes it all the way in.

She tries comforting him as they walk toward the front, out the doors. Telling him that Frank will get over himself, and that it's only a little time lost. About three hours, since Roland was supposed to be picked up by Robin at 4:00. But Robin argues, knowing that by the time they get home tonight, Roland will be asleep and they'll be getting to sleep too. She hates it for him, kicking herself for having to give that to him, but lets herself off the hook when she remembers it would've cost _both _of their jobs.

"He's already mad enough, I don't want to be even later." Robin states, pressing the car to go a hair faster than he was supposed to be going after Regina nips at him to slow down.

Her hand is reaching for the handle above her head, her other holding on her seatbelt tightly. "If you get us in a wreck – no, if you _ever _drive like this with Henry in the – no! You're _never _driving Henry in this car again!"

He rolls his eyes, assuring, "I never drive like this with children in the car."

"If I shit my pants does that mean I'm a child? Because I'm about to if – _ROBIN!" _She yells, holding even tighter and clenching up. Her eyes grow wide and she looks at him once he stops, "Did you not see that car stopping?!"

"Of course I saw it, I was just-"

"Oh, just going to fast? Yeah. Slow down."

**..**

…

Two stops, one meal, and many miles later, they're putting Roland's things in the car. Robin has already (very briefly) introduced Frank to Regina, and Regina to Frank. Briefly. Very, very briefly. Awkwardly is the word Regina uses on the way home.

But for now, she twists herself around to peek back at the backseat, "How has your first year of Pre-K been?" She asks, making small talk with the little kid.

His smile grows more and more the longer she pays attention to him, and she notices that quickly. From her experience, all kids love attention, but most kids get their fill of it soon. Roland absorbed it, babbling on about how he is happy he gets apple juice every morning when he arrives, how he loves craft time, and how he doesn't like the kids there. That's when her speculations of how much time his grandparents spend with him starts floating around in her tight mind.

Puckering her lips and furrowing her perfectly trimmed brows, she asks, "Well, why don't you like them?"

"They aren't very nice to me." Is his reply with his head down, looking at the little plastic toy in his hands.

Four year olds aren't very vocal about their problems such as bullying, but Regina can tell it's a sore subject to him so she tries avoiding it with just one more question, "Did you tell Grandpa?"

His nod is sad before he answers, "Yes, I did. He said I needed to stop complaining." And that's the end of that.

Regina's heart sinks and Robin's eyes snap up to the rear view mirror to look at his son. Sighing, the couple looks at each other, knowing in both of their minds that they can't do anything about it. No one would believe them.

It's already 8:30, completely dark, and they are still an hour and a half away from their apartment. Regina looks at him in the back seat and smirks, stating, "He's zonked."

"I know, he has been for about fifteen minutes." He replies quietly, a small smile gracing his lips as his eyes drift to the mirror again. "I hope Frank doesn't hurt him."

She sighs, thinking the same thing. "I know it's none of my business, but...Robin you have to do something. I've had a _lot _of experience with kids before working for the school. I know what they do to avoid straight-out telling you." She explains, looking him softly in the eyes and silently letting him know that she's right. (Like usual...let's face it.)

His Adam's apple bobs hard like it does when he gets nervous or worried, his hands get fidgety on the steering wheel and one swooshes up to rub through his hair. Clearing his throat, he answers, "I don't know how to get custody."

"I do." Regina inserts quickly, "I told you I can get good lawyers, I know friends of my parents who would help me whenever. Please, Robin...just let me help _you_ for _once._" She almost begs, taking his hand across the console and entwining her fingers in his, her thumb rubbing over his knuckle.

She knows, because that happened to Henry once. He was young, about five. He'd just start kindergarten, it was around Christmas time. They were baking cookies and he got on the topic of school, and somehow Regina had figured out (through twisted around words and hidden little hints) that an older boy had been stealing his lunches, and Henry had to go the whole day without food after breakfast and before dinner. It wasn't the extent that Roland is wanting to describe, but it's the same concept.

"Child abuse is nothing to mess around with."

Robin shakes his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "But what if he's not abused? What if Frank is just hard on him?"

"I don't think that's what's going on here, Robin. I really, _really _don't." She whispers, looking ahead at the dark road in front of them.

The truth, it was motherly instinct. He may not biologically be hers, but she knows enough about kids and she's seen so many of them and been around so many. She knows.

There's a moment of silence, just the tires humming against the asphalt and Roland's soft little snores from the backseat. "Okay. We'll call a lawyer Monday."

"I thought he got the whole week?"

"No, Frank changed his mind." Robin replies in a saddened tone of voice, loosening the grip on her hand slightly.

**..**

…

_Mommy!_ is the first thing she hears the next morning, her son's voice ringing through her ears to wake her up. Then a screaming _Daddy! _is coming down the halls and into the bedroom.

It's an awakening, but neither of them can honestly call it a rude one. Both of their boys are jumping into their bed, laughing and giggling as they snuggle in between each of their parents. They'd both call that a better alarm than that nasty old plastic one (that they would both like to hit on some mornings...straight onto the ground).

Roland's hair is most certainly tickling Robin's chin, and Regina laughs when it gets stuck in his scruff. Her arms are wrapped around Henry and a smile is slabbed across her face, loving that both of their boys are here at the same time finally. Roland is already babbling on about something (at 7:45 in the morning...) and Regina is thinking she's going to need extra coffee from the late night last night and from the early morning. She's not really comprehending _what _exactly he's saying, but she's hoping Robin is since her mind is elsewhere. The same place it'd been before she went to sleep last night.

She's deciding whether she should get in touch with Mr. Gold, her lawyer, before or after Roland leaves. Mr. Gold is a longtime friend of hers. The reason they had to meet wasn't so fortunate, and she's not sure if he ruined her life or made it better.

Her mind is becoming slightly less foggy as she starts hearing Robin and Roland's conversation about breakfast and it's making her hungry. "I think I'll go make some of that, then." She states as she shimmies out of the bed, talking about the eggs and bacon that they were drooling over. Roland got his father's stomach, if nothing else.

Regina doesn't call herself to be a sentimental person. (Even though Robin said it many times while helping her pack up her apartment, and taking out all of the pictures and things Henry had made when he was little. Regina would snap back every time saying that it was all just important to her, but Robin would stop the argument even though he knew he was right. She's sentimental). She may hold on to a few things her and there, but sentimental? Not that bad...even if Robin says otherwise. But as she's thinking about Gold and her childhood, about Henry and his childhood...she realizes how lucky Henry has had it compared to her. Gold was a friend of her and her father's, but she didn't want to let Robin know she'd been abused. She didn't want to go into the story about how Richard Gold helped her out of her get through high school without killing herself. Those were dark days for her – days that unfortunately are always and always will be engraved in the back of her mind.

Instead of getting _right _on breakfast, she's digging around in her phone book for Mr. Gold's number. She finds it, writes it on another piece of paper so she won't need to get her phone book again, and starts on the breakfast.

Eggs sear in the pan after the bacon, giving them a greasy and...bacony...taste. (Bacony? Why not. She's a literature teacher, she can make up her own words.) That smell fills the air and soon enough, Henry is trotting into the kitchen and gluing to her side, making her lose her balance and chuckle a little. "Silly." She coos as she's taking the egg shells to throw away.

He lifts the garbage can lid for her, helpful as usual. His smile is everlasting it seems as she cooks the meal, and she starts to wonder why. Wonder what he's up to, exactly. Once she asks, his answer is simple, "You finally gave me the sibling I always wanted, mom." before his little arms wrap around her midsection, pulling himself in for a hug.

She grunts a little at the sudden squeeze, smiling once she gets over the initial shock. "Roland, you mean?"

He nods, explains that he loves his little brother, and it makes Regina's heart completely melt. Roland isn't _technically _his brother, but she's glad that Henry is at least getting along with him great.

At the end of their short-lived conversation, Roland is coming into the kitchen and Henry runs off with him out the door and into the small little play-park about fifty feet away, both of them giggling up a storm and already yelling _tag! You're it! - _although she can't tell which one is saying it.

Then the next pair of feet come padding through the carpeted room and into the one with tile, walking until their toes touch her heels, and until arms are around her ribs. She cranes her neck back slightly to rub her cheek against his, "Good morning, my dear." She coos, scrambling this egg for Henry.

His smile is big, everlasting like Henry's as he answers, "Good morning to you, lovely. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderful, actually." Is her answer as she puts the last egg on the last plate, placing it neatly.

A kiss is pressed against the back of her still messy hair as his arms slide off of her, "I'm glad to hear that. You know today is officially one week since you've lived here, correct?"

"Correct." She answers, smiling as she turns around with the plates stacked in her arms. Robin helps her with two of them and sets them on the small table. She groans a little as the plates just don't have enough room in this small little area, "Now is a good time to bring up the request for a new and more family oriented table."

He nods in agreement (or at least she's hoping it's in agreement. Maybe it's only in agreement to bring up the request?), "This one doesn't exactly fit us all, does it?"

She tells him no, it doesn't, and that especially when Roland comes over it makes it harder to have nicer meals. He tells her that they can go shopping whenever they both have time, and she hopelessly thinks that they may never get time. They're always busy.

"I'm going to call Gold today, hopefully we'll get some answers on getting Roland back." She tells him, making the room get a heavy silence for a moment before he calls Roland and Henry back in for breakfast, looks back at her with a soft expression, and nods.

"Okay."

**..**

…

Richard Gold is one person Regina would never choose to talk to unless there was a reason. And this was one of those reasons, and she hates having to do it as she's dialing his number.

It rings four times, she begins to think he won't pick up. Her neck cranes to look at the small clock that's on the wall – it's already 11:30, she knows he's awake, she knows he's eaten breakfast (or at least if he hasn't, he surely isn't eating right now). The smug bastard isn't answering, and it's making her blood boil more and more as she sits there and listens to the ring back tone.

Finally, as the voicemail is about to pick up, he answers. "Regina, what a lovely surprise."

She looks back down at her phone, which isn't her phone at all, it's Robin's house phone, "How did you know it was me?" She asks, her voice slightly shaky since she's been caught off guard like this.

His subtle, eerie laugh sends a chill through her and down her spine, "Caller ID, I know you're with Mr. Locksley."

And now she's wondering how he knows, but he has eyes everywhere. She tries to shake it off, takes a deep breath, and clutches the phone a little tighter. "I'm calling to ask-"

"A favor. Yes, I didn't suppose it was to wish me a happy belated Labor Day."

Her brows furrow, her lips part, and she's slightly irritated again by his sarcastic remarks. Nonetheless, he's the one person that can help Robin get Roland back, so she won't make enemies out of him this time.

She tells him why she's called, tells him that her _Mr. Locksley_ is in need of a child custody case against his father-in-law, and Gold tells her that it may be easier since Frank isn't immediate family. She hopes that he's right, more than anything she wants Robin to have his son back.

"I'm going to be in the Atlanta area this week, in your luck, and I can set up an appointment at Glenn's Kitchen, downtown in the Glenn Hotel. Bring multiple proof of financial stability, pictures of his family members, and of course, Robin." He explains, and she can tell from the sound of his voice that he's almost been expecting her to come to him for help.

He's always given her an eerie feeling, even though, for many years, he was much like a father figure to her. He would pick her up after school some days in the Big Apple and take her to his office. He never scared her, not in the way that he would harm her, but she felt like he was always watching her. Felt like he had eyes and ears everywhere, and knowing his reputation? He just might.

Nonetheless, he is probably to thank for keeping her out of trouble in her high school days, giving her little office-jobs to do while she waited for her father to get off of work at the office just down the street. He's a lawyer as well, but just a DA. He represents the interests of the general public, including crime victims, proceedings against people accused of committing crimes. Things like that.

She feels like she owes him sometimes, he's never complained about having her around, he taught her a few logistical things in law and just in life. Yet, he's got such an arrogant attitude that it's hard to give him much.

"Alright, we'll meet you on Tuesday after we both get off, so about 4:00." She explains, clearing her throat and writing this all down in her planner. _September 23__rd__ already? _"We take Roland home on Monday, and Robin shouldn't have any plans."

He replies telling her that it's fine with him, that he'll see her and all of their information needed, and he's looking forward to working with her again. There's that chill.

Though Senator _Mills _has her father's last name, she isn't married to him. Cora divorced Henry Sr. when Regina was fifteen (maybe another reason she'd gotten closer to Gold in those years), accusing Henry of being too attached to her. Something Regina never got was that – _how can you be too attached to your children's father? _Especially after Henry was born and Daniel died, she never understood how her mother could divorce her father unless she never truly loved him in the first place.

Needless to say, that's how Gold and Regina originally met. He was Henry Sr.'s child custody lawyer, then, winning him Zee, but not Regina. In the back of her mind, she's always wondered if Gold had felt guilty for letting Regina go back to Cora – _making _her, actually. Maybe that's why he spent more time with her. She'll never know, because she's never gathered up the courage to ask.

After they say their goodbyes, Regina tells Robin the news in a code to avoid telling Roland and Henry what exactly is going on as the older man is being dog-piled by the two children. She knows she'll have to explain it to him again, later, but also doesn't want to tear him away from spending time with his son.

Instead, she laughs and sets her planner on the table, "Dog-piles...looks more like a load of poop to me."

Henry's laugh emerges from the middle of this human hill, "Mom!" He exclaims, half-choking from the light weight of Roland on top of him and continuing, "That's your _son _you're talking to!"

Robin is groaning, he's faking being strained for the enjoyment and entertainment of the children, saying, "Help me, Regina..." and sticking a shaky hand out for her.

Rolling her eyes at such childishness, she walks over and starts to reach out for his hand, but he pulls her down into the rest of them. She's caught off-guard for the second time today, but this time gravity is defying her and she falls down stomach first onto Robin's head. "I suppose I should've expected that." She says from the top, Roland's legs squirming underneath her to get out.

**..**

…

Their Saturday had gone by in a whirl, and Sunday morning was just as Saturday's had been. The hustle and bustle of having two young boys in the apartment, making breakfast, fitting them at the table that's too small. But it all was just a piece to the puzzle, one more memory to add into their lives. Even if Regina doesn't realize that right now, right as her egg has fallen on the ground in front of the oven.

It sets her into this odd, emotional rampage, and she blames it on her whole womanly thing. She hates when she gets like this, especially if she gets snippy with Henry, or in this case even Roland, for no reason. No reason that they'll know, at least.

Robin had noticed this, though, and was immediately in the kitchen helping her clean the egg off of the floor. He's trying to make funny little jokes such as, _You know, when we first met, I probably would've still eaten this though it fell on the floor. Would've called it the five-second rule_ and _Awww, look! It's sunny side up!_ All attempts to make her laugh, and almost all of them working, too.

She sometimes doesn't like when he makes her laugh. Sometimes she just wants to be mad, but he always makes it so damn hard. And because he makes it hard to stay mad, her day is all smiles and laughs with her boys that she cares so much for, more games and food.

The night ends well with a reading session to Henry and Roland from Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow, and tucking Roland in with Robin, and tucking Henry in with Robin listening from the door way.

Monday morning, though, she's waking up in a heavy sweat from last night's dream.

It was them, all of them, Robin, Regina, Henry and Roland, and they were in a hospital. Regina couldn't figure out why until she was in pain, and then soon after she realized that she was pregnant. Being only a dream, it went on to show that they'd had a healthy baby girl.

Why the sweat? She wonders the same thing as she's taking her morning shower to get ready for the day at work, shampooing and rubbing her scalp carefully to try and rub that dream right out of her head.

Her possible explanations for the uneasy feeling over the dream were slim; one being that it felt too natural, that it felt like it really could be real. Two maybe being that her body was going through all of that pain in the dream, and maybe it had thought it was a real thing and she'd gotten sweated up because of that. She really doesn't know, but she knows it felt too real.

Most of the work day, the feeling hangs over her and bothers her until about lunch time when she gets to talk to Robin in a casual setting, no _family _things, just them. It makes her feel better, makes that haze pass, and lets her focus on her work better throughout the remainder of the day.

**..**

…

She's still tired from the drive last night, both of them are as they're dragging themselves out of bed and starting their daily morning routines to prepare themselves for a Tuesday of work.

After she exits the bathroom, she pads over to the closet where her clothes are still halfway packed away, the ones out are the ones she wears to work the most. Just a few outfits hanging up, a royal blue dress with a bit more cleavage than she likes, but knows Robin likes, a black pantsuit, a dark purple skirt...it's all starting to get used to their new home in his closet. _Their _closet.

But while she's half-asleep, still tripping over a box and stubbing her pinky toe on the corner, she's spewing cuss words like they're nothing (and also in the back of her mind, she's telling herself that she's glad Henry can't hear her from in here).

After her little episode in the closet, her day goes about normally. She makes sure to scoop the information up that Gold had asked for on the phone, luckily remembering that she's to meet him tonight. Keys, purse, phone, banana for breakfast, and they're off with Henry in the backseat of her SUV.

Robin has complained two more times about having to drive her SUV instead of his Mustang, but she reminds him that it's more convenient (even though his car gets better gas mileage. Still, she has to draw the line somewhere). But she's pretty sure that after the time of Henry saying _When I drive, I want to go as fast as you_ to him that he's realized maybe the Mustang isn't such a good idea.

Once Henry is off to school, Regina is watching him in the side mirror as they drive out of the parking lot. For some reason, her mind wanders off to his first day of Kindergarten when she was almost in tears because he was so eager to go. It made her feel like maybe she wasn't being the mother she should've been to him since she's had to work so much just to keep their lives in order.

After all, before she got the job with the school, it was just little odd-jobs and seasonal things. She had a kiosk in the mall that she would open with Emma and sell holiday things around the Christmas season, she would have extra hours at the restaurant as a waitress during Thanksgiving, and she was a daycare worker in the summer time. Anything and everything just to get by – all for her son.

All she's ever wanted in the last ten years is for her son to be happy, for him to have a good life – one that didn't involve the pain of splitting parents (which he has in a way, anyway), one that doesn't involve struggling to get by (something she's never known, either, as a child), and one that doesn't involve a cold shoulder from his mother. Not likes her did, not like Cora.

His voice pulls her away from the mirror as he says her name, making her turn her body forward and look to him in the driver's seat. She waits for him to say something else, but he doesn't. She wonders why he pulled her away from those memories, wondering if there was some reason or just because he wanted to look at her. And she kind of likes to think the latter.

"Today is the first day of getting your son back, Robin." She coos, smiling warmly at him and making the whole car seem to warm up just from that. He nods, doesn't say anything more, and she purses her lips to the side, "You're happy about this, right?"

His answer is immediate, like he had been thinking about it for a while. "Of course I am. I'm ecstatic to have the little rascal in my life 24/7. He's like a mini-me."

Smiling, she nods and answers, "He is. But I don't know where he gets the curls from, because I just don't see you having curls, and from the pictures I've seen of Marian...she just doesn't have a curly hair on her head."

He chuckles, nodding, "I don't know. I guess the same reason some kids end up with blue eyes and their parents both have brown." and turning into the school's parking lot, "Just a rebellious gene in his DNA, I suppose."

Regina's brow flicks upward, unbuckling her seatbelt as he pulls into her spot, "Well, you know what _they _say about the 'rebellious genes'," She says with half-done air quotes, "Mommy's been in someone else's bed..."

He rolls his eyes, turns the car off, and gets out, "I don't think so. We did a test, making absolute sure that Roland was mine. And he most definitely came from me." He says proudly, sticking the keys in his pocket.

Regina gives him a reprimanding look and takes them from his back pocket, saying, "After you telling me you've had to buy two extra sets of keys for your car, I don't want you losing mine." and placing them in her purse. Robin groans, but secretly he knows she's right, so he doesn't argue.

**..**

…

It's warm out still, even in the evening time of 4:00. They're slightly early, but they wanted to make sure they wouldn't get lost. Neither of them have ever been to Glenn's Hotel, nor would they ever have the need to. Robin is the only one in the relationship to _possibly _have enough money to stay here, even if he ever wanted to for any reason.

The room is mostly empty, a few older couples scattered among some of the tables in the little cafe style restaurant. It smells of fried food, but not in a greasy, carnival way. The lighting is dim, the setting is nice, and Regina is glad she didn't change out of her principal clothing, otherwise she would feel slightly out of place in the higher end eatery.

She presses the button on her phone, making the screen illuminate and show that it's 3:55, "He's never late, and he'll most likely be _right _on time." She announces to Robin, who is sitting next to her and rubbing his sweaty palms together, subconsciously rocking back and forth a little and making the booth squeak.

It's one of those set-ups that's against the wall, a booth running along the outer stone structure and a table separating the chairs on the other side. They've decided to take the booth, leaving the chair side for Gold. No certain reason, but that's where Regina went first and Robin followed.

Robin replies, "Right." and stops rocking, taking a deep breath when her hand touches his. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."

"Why?" is her next question, and he explains that it's only because it's the first real step to him actually being a _father _to his boy.

She understands, wishing they had enough time for her to tell him when she found out she was pregnant with Henry, knowing inwardly that it would help calm him down a little. At this point, she's afraid he may try to speak to Gold and spew his lunch instead of talk. So she simply makes small-talk, orders two waters when the waitress comes around, and holds his hand. It's all she can do.

Gold walks in only minutes later, 3:59. Her smirk is only in her head until she sees how he's let himself go, and it makes her shudder a little bit. He's walking with a cane now, a limp is slightly visible, and when he gives a small, cold smile to a waitress she sees a gold cap on his tooth making a shiny appearance.

Shifting in her seat a little, Robin sees what she's looking at, "Is that him?" He whispers to her, not taking his eyes off of the man.

A nod and a sniffle later, she replies, "Yes, he looks a lot worse than he did ten years ago." She whispers back to him, not taking her eyes off either.

Gold sees the couple staring at him, turns his body their way, and limps over to take a seat in the vacant chair. "Good afternoon." He greets, setting a binder down on the table and a briefcase onto the floor that she didn't seem to notice before (she must've been too focused on how bad he looks). He props his cane against the table, opens his binder, and immediately starts to get to business.

She watches as he works his way through some pages, wondering what he's doing. His hands have an old look to them, they don't shake, but she thinks it won't be long before they start. He must be in his sixties now, and she finally decides she must've just forgotten how old he really is. The way she feels slightly offended that he didn't even greet her like a friend (like she sees him) makes her feel uncomfortable, makes her feel like she shouldn't have given him so much credit.

"How long have you two known each other?" He speaks up, still not looking up from his pages.

She answers a month, tells him that he moved here from around Tampa, Florida. He asks what he did there, and Regina realizes she doesn't know what he did. So she lets Robin talk, who should've been talking and answering the imp's questions all this time.

He perks up, rubbing his hands together again as he leans closer toward the table, "I was a lifeguard at a community recreational center in the summer, and I worked in a bar the rest of the time."

That's why he was so tan when he first came here, because he had worked at a pool all summer. She suddenly feels a twinge of guilt in her stomach for never asking what he did when he was in Tampa (other than bartending, which she'd already known, and she doesn't even know why she hasn't asked.

Gold's nod is subtle as he finally looks up, immediately meeting her eyes. It makes her want to jump, makes her skin want to crawl. Why? He's never done anything directly to her. Robin must sense her nerves, though, because one hand slips from his lap and onto her in a gentle manner. "I see. Where are your financial reports?" He asks, switching back and forth between her eyes and his.

Regina unfreezes from her little shock, looking down into her purse and digging through to find the paper reports from the last two months of his paychecks. "It's all there. He's eligible for a raise beginning in 2015 due to his outstanding football season, and if the board approves it he'll make approximately one-hundred dollars extra a month." She explains, handing the papers over to her old friend. Her _old _friend, the one who no longer seems to remember the days she spent helping him.

Nodding, he takes them and reads over them, his eyes scanning over the words and stopping at important parts. "And yours, Regina?"

Again, she digs through her purse. She knows that it's not required in court for her to have hers, because technically she wouldn't be a legal guardian, but she also knew Gold would want to see them anyway. If nothing else, just to be nosey. So she brings them out in the light, scoots them across the table nervously to him, and says, "My pay will raise next month, too. I recently got promoted to principal."

With that, his brow raises but he never looks up. She wonders what she's just said to get him so curious. "How did you manage that, dearie?"

Immediately, she thinks back to when she was fifteen. To when her parents' divorce was final. To when she was looking through their files secretly (because she wasn't supposed to be digging through files like that), and to when she saw that Henry Sr. had admitted to Cora sleeping with the governor of New York to get him to help with her campaign. She lost that year, but the next term she ran and she won.

Again, she's shifting in her booth and it squeaks slightly. They're interrupted before she can say anything by the waitress, bringing three glasses of water instead of two. She disperses them, asks if they'd like anything to eat, and Gold orders the Charcuterie for all of them, tells them it's his treat. _Maybe he does remember the years she helped him out. _She looks at the menu, sees it consists of Artisan cheeses and cured meats, among other things.

She acts like she's forgotten to answer his question of how she got to be principal, knowing it was a poke toward her being the daughter of Cora Mills. She uncomfortably ignores it, and brings out the pictures she's brought of his family.

She shows the picture of Frank and Melinda, his wife, to Gold. He studies over them, and his voice plays in her mind. _I always like to learn my subjects by studying their faces. Their smiles show everything about them, whether they've lied through their teeth or whether they can chew through wires. _Maybe that's why he has the gold cap – too much lying.

He clears his throat and straightens up, seeming stiff and uncomfortable in the chair before stating, "Italian." and setting the pictures down.

Robin has a confused expression, looking at Regina before back at Gold to ask, "Italian? Yes, they're Italian. What does that mean?"

His smile is crooked when he looks up at Regina, then over to Robin, "Italians are good liars; loud, annoying, and cheaters." He replies.

Robin, having grown up in England, knows that Italians are not always well-liked among some people – and Gold must be one of those people. Robin knows Frank little, but he does know he's loud and annoying. He doesn't know about the cheating, at least not that he's told Regina. But Regina also knows that's yet _another _poke to her mother, and she wonders if she's somehow messed into Gold's life again.

Robin doesn't answer, he never says much throughout the whole event unless asked to speak. "I suppose you're healthy, correct, Mr. Locksley?"

With that, he nods. "My last exam was in July before I moved to Atlanta." He replies, then letting him know that everything was fine.

Gold looks between them again, "I know it's a little early to ask, but the court will be asking me otherwise. I don't want to be clueless on the situation, so...what are your future plans?"

Then they look at each other. Both of their expressions are soft, both of them are somewhat confused and mostly baffled. They've never really talked about it. Sure, they've both dropped little, subtle hints here and there about their future, about marriage and kids. But never have they actually sat down, had a good talk about it, and known where they stand on that subject.

The man must sense it, because he takes a deep breath before standing up and grabbing his things, the copies of the pictures Regina had given him, and taking one last sip of his water, "I can see you two aren't exactly on one page on this subject. You need to get that together before our next meeting, because I'm setting a court date before Thanksgiving." He announces, bending over to grab his briefcase and turning to walk out of the restaurant after he leaves money for the bill.

Regina's lips are still parted, her heart pounding inside her chest. He is about to speak, but she stops him with a firm hand on his thigh, "Robin – I don't want to talk about this here. We've only been dating a month."

A sigh comes through his lips, and she wonders if she's disappointed him.

"Let's go home..." She whispers, ready to just relax after making dinner for her boys and picking Henry up from Emma's. Maybe some red wine, maybe a bubble bath, and maybe, _maybe_ a long talk with Robin.

But it's only been a month. One month of even talking. One month of kissing, hugging, learning each other, loving..._one month. _It feels like her whole world is spinning just from that question, and he doesn't even seem phased by it. Why isn't he phased?

Sometimes it's so frustrating how he is so overly calm about things, but then gets nervous over things such as when shopping carts get left around his car. When it comes to scary, life things...he's hardly even noticed.

He must feel the tension being given from her, because he's reaching for her hand as soon as they walk into their bedroom Tuesday night. "Regina, talk to me, lovely. Something is going on." He pries, running his hands through her silky-soft hair and over her cheek.

Her head tilts slightly, sort of not wanting to talk about this anymore. She's thought about it, sat on it, and now maybe it's not making her so jittery. _It shouldn't anyway, _she thinks. Before she speaks, she clears her throat and continues on, "It's just...we've been dating a month. A little bit over, right?" She asks rhetorically, and he nods thankfully, "And when people start asking about futures so quickly, it just...it makes me nervous for some reason. A reason I really can't explain, but it's in the pit of my stomach and it shakes me around until I'm all worked up." She explains, holding his free hand.

"I'm not wanting to rush anything." He says, staying calm and cool like usual. And it's making her irritated already.

She turns out of his hold, leaving him baffled to sit on the bed, "I don't get how you're so calm about it. Is our future not all that important to you?" She asks, suddenly getting hit with a bad case of déjà vu back to their first real fight, back to when she wasn't sure if she was wasting her time with him or not. "I don't want to be here if all I am is a ticket to nights in bed with a faithful woman I-"

"You deserve more than that." He replies genuinely, "That's why I wouldn't do such a thing. I told you back then, lovely, that I was in it with you for as long as it plays out. I _really _love you; I wouldn't have asked you to move in if I didn't. And I just – I just...I feel at home with you. As though my heart literally just lies in yours, and it's really home. The past week you've lived here has given me the best memories I've ever had in this apartment. Playing _Monopoly _with Henry, reading and helping with homework. All of it, and I don't want to lose it just because someone asked about our future." He states, looking into her eyes as he stands against her knees, now, instead of on the other side of the room.

That night is playing back in her mind when they first fought, still stuck on repeat are the words: _I asked you out because I wanted to get to know you. And here you are, knowing more about me than I really wanted to tell. And I'm ashamed of my past__..._

Again, he's managed to make her feel small, tiny, and she manages to speak out, "And your thoughts on that are?"

"On our future?" He asks, and she nods.

_And by the way...I want to be more than just teacher friends._

His rumble is low in his chest as he clears his throat, sitting down beside her. "We've only been together a month. It feels like I've known you so much longer, but in reality...we haven't known each other long at all. As of right now? I want a life with you, Regina." He whispers, low enough to make goosebumps rise on her arms, continues, "And I think as long as we keep what we have going, we will have a life together. It's all about timing, and...fate just works it's way out." then rubs the goosebumps down for a little while they both think about what was just said.

He perks up again, remembering something he must've left out, "Right now, I can't see us anywhere but together in a year. Maybe engaged, maybe something twisty happened, but I still see us together."

And it finally makes her frown lighten up into a smile, just barely, still. He hasn't completely won that prize. "So when the court asks-"

"We're together, and plan on being that way for a long while."

Her nod loosens her stiff body up, stifling an _Okay _and situating herself onto her side of their bed, pulling the covers up, turning the light off, and going to sleep soon after.


End file.
